


The Dark Queen

by ArchdemonSlayer



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Death, Past Child Abuse, References to Fate/stay night and Nasuverse, Suicide, Then all hell will break loose, slow build up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24316876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchdemonSlayer/pseuds/ArchdemonSlayer
Summary: A woman with a power that later proves to be unstable becomes a member of HOMRA. This influence causes events to change, but when she loses control can she be stopped in time? Or will she end up destroying that which she holds dear first? A tragic tale unfolds.Has a TV Tropes page.
Relationships: Suoh Mikoto/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. HOMRA

"Mikoto," Izumo said. The tone he was using suggested this wasn't his first attempt to get the redheaded king sitting in a stool at the counter's attention.

The mentioned king sighed rather loudly. "What is it this time?"

Izumo groaned and went back to cleaning a wine glass. Really, how this guy became the Red King, he'll never know. "That gang assaulted another woman yesterday. The police wants our help in this case."

Mikoto turned his head to Izumo. "What gang?"

Izumo didn't look up from what he was doing. "You don't watch the news often, do you? A small group of three or four men have been assaulting women in this part of Shizume for a few weeks now. However, the police never managed to catch them. Now I say assault, because they've done things from robbing women to raping them."

Mikoto smirked. "Those guys really can't manage to catch a few lowlives?"

Izumo ignored him. "Anyway, it's apparently gone on so long that they want HOMRA's aid. Totsuka has already gone out early this morning to patrol this section of the city. Unfortunately, the gang strikes at different times during the day in order to make it harder to track them, so he'll be gone all day. I'll also be heading out soon."

"You also want me to go out since you're telling me this?" Mikoto asked.

Izumo gave a smile. "That's right."

Mikoto grumbled and mulled over whether or not he should do this. He didn't really feel like it. But on the other hand, what if Tatara ran into those thugs? Despite receiving part of Mikoto's power, he couldn't fight back. He would just get his ass kicked.

Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Mikoto stood up, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, and headed for the bar's door. Izumo looked surprised. "You're really going out?"

"What? You asked me to."

"I never thought I'd see the day where you'd do something I'd ask of you."

"Shut up."

* * *

Mikoto was thinking about how if those thugs were encountered, it would be by him or Izumo. In that case, the guys would be incinerated for thinking they can do wherever. Well, Izumo would probably hold back so the men would be turned in alive. But if they hurt Tatara, even he wouldn't show mercy. Hopefully, Tatara would be smart enough to keep his distance from the gang. But, much to Mikoto's annoyance, he wasn't one to shy away from danger.

Mikoto looked up at the sky and realized he had lost track of time. The afternoon has arrived. Their still weren't many people passing him, most were still at work. Right now, Mikoto was passing by the playground. It was summer break for those in school, but it was humid out, so it was completely empty. At least, it should have been.

Sitting on one of the benches was a woman with hair of pure white snow going down to her shoulders and eyes the color of the clear sky above. She had a pale complexion, making it look like she would burn despite her being in the shade. All her attention was fixed on her phone, she must be doing something on it. The humidity didn't seem to be affecting her. Or maybe it was, considering she was in the shade. A layer of sweat glistened on her face, but she was probably ignoring the stifling heat.

Three men walked up to the woman. All had their hoods up and bandages on their faces so you can't identity them. One was holding a pistol. They may be the ones assaulting women. The number certainly matched. Mikoto debated with himself whether or not he should interfere. Meh, too much effort. He'll step in when too much noise is made. The few people who also passed by the playground didn't look up to see what was happening, too engrossed in their PDAs.

The woman gave the men a sweet smile, not displaying any fear of the barrel of the pistol pointed at her face. She set her phone down on the bench. "Can I help you three?"

"Come with us, lady," the man pointing the gun at her said. "Refuse or scream, and we'll kill you on the spot."

He reached one hand to the woman, who was still smiling sweetly. But before the man's hand could touch her, her own shot out and grabbed his wrist. Before the man could react, there was a sickening sound of something snapping that reached Mikoto's ears. The man pulled his hand back while bellowing loudly.

"You bitch!" another man hissed, he and the third man each ripping out a pistol. They were angled to her so they wouldn't accidentally shoot the other. But when they fired, she jumped up at lightning speed.

"Maybe the next time you try to take advantage of someone, you should consider if they can fight back," she giggled. As she descended between the two men, she kicked both heads simultaneously. The men crumpled to the ground, both unconscious.

The first man stopped screaming and shakily pointed his gun at her. "Wh-what the hell _are_ you?!" He fired, but the woman simply held her arm up in front of her head. But instead of being damaged, the bullet bounced off her forearm without breaking the skin.

She grinned as if this filled her with joy. "Is that all you got?" She appeared in front of the man and delivered a blow to the side of his head hard enough to knock him out. "Was that enough to erase some of his short-term memory? I hope so."

Meanwhile, Mikoto was just staring. He didn't think normal humans would be capable of that, but then again, the world's a vast place. He thought of her as a delicate lily, but perhaps she was in fact a white rose that was now bearing its thorns.

The redhead debated whether or not to head back to the bar or call the police to let them clean up the mess. He took a couple steps back the way he came when a shout of "Who's there?!" made him freeze.

He turned his head to see the woman glaring right at him. "How much did you see?" she snarled, not unlike a dog about to attack. "It looks like I'll need to erase your short-term memory of me as well."

She sprung at the red-haired man, displaying inhuman leg strength, and launched a roundhouse kick to his head, but Mikoto blocked it with one arm effortlessly. The girl's eyes widened.

 _'To be able to stop a mana-infused kick so easily, what in the world is he?! I'm not smelling blood from him, so he's not a skilled mage and I don't sense that he's a Servant either.'_ She had an encounter with Servant Lancer during the Fifth War in Fuyuki in 2004, so she knew what the power emanating from them feels like.

Mikoto grinned like a predator with its prey cornered. "You're pretty gutsy to take on a king."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean a king? You?"

"Yeah. You made the mistake of taking on the Red King. Lucky for you, I'm not a fan of beating on women. But," magenta flames engulfed the forearm he was blocking the kick with, "I'll burn them if they annoy me too much."

The woman pulled her leg back. But not due to any burning sensation. In truth, she felt none. She's awakened her Origin somewhat, which grants her mid-level Magic Resistance for now. But confusion was etched into her face. The fact she didn't feel those flames means it was magecraft. That attack looked like paltry magecraft. But again, he doesn't carry the scent of blood on him. He mostly smells like a wildfire. And he couldn't be a low-level mage either. If he was, there'd be absolutely no way he could just casually shrug off one of her kicks. "...What are you?"

Mikoto sighed. "You must not have been listening the first time. I said I'm the Red King. Now shoo before you get hurt."

She had heard a rumor in Shizume about the Red Monster who controls flames. Could this man be what the rumors were referring to? Honestly, she had written it off as some dumb mage that was going to have the Association's hit squad on their ass in no time. She even reported this rumor to them. The fact the Association hasn't killed him yet must mean there's something going on that she's not aware of.

She bit her bottom lip hard. If only she had set up a bounded field beforehand she could cast some spells. She should have know something like this would happen when the Association sent her here.

The redhead grinned again and the flames vanished. "I like you. You got guts to want to keep fighting me, a king, despite not being a king yourself. I'll let you go just this once."

Shock spread over the woman's face. "What?!" She turned her gaze back into a glare, blue eyes blazing. "Are you mocking me?!"

"I'm not. I don't want to turn such a strong-willed lady to a pile of ash. It'd be a waste. But I am curious as to what your name is."

"You shouldn't ask for the names of others without stating yours first."

He chuckled a little. "I see you still have some bark left. Normally, I don't take orders, but I don't think you'll back down easily. Fine, I'm Mikoto Suoh. Now tell me yours."

She put away all signs of hostility, but still looked to be on guard. "Akiko Hashimoto."

Mikoto turned around. "Maybe we'll see each other again, Hashimoto."

"Why? You planning on running into me again?"

Mikoto glanced over his shoulder back at her. "I'm the leader of a group called HOMRA. It's just three of us for now, but we're lookin' for new members. I think someone like you'd fit in well. Anyway, it's at the bar Homra. Think about my offer."

As he walked out of the playground, he pulled out his PDA and sent a group message to Izumo and Tatara.

** The guys are taken care of. Head back to the bar. **

Izumo was the first to reply. **You have your PDA on you? That's a surprise.**

** Hardy har har. **

Izumo: **Sorry, I couldn't help it. But you took care of them? Good. Give me your location and I'll have the cops pick them up.**

** At the playground. But the one who took them out was a woman they were about to make a victim. **

Tatara: **On her own? Without help from you, King?**

** She isn't like most women, so I invited her to join us. **

Izumo: **Is she with you then?**

** No. I told her to think it over. Who knows if she'll try to join. **

* * *

_For as long as she could remember, Akiko was always awkward with meeting new people. As such, she didn't have friends._

_Akiko originally lived in Fuyuki City. In the year 1994, when she was only seven years old, a massive fire went through and killed her parents when they tried to flee with her. The blaze burned down the house, leaving the little girl both an orphan and homeless. She had no living relatives who could take her in and no friends to turn to._

_Fortunately, the Hashimotos were in good standing with the Mage's Association and Akiko had an Origin that grants her a skill normally only Servants would have, not to mention high-quality magic circuits despite being a third-generation mage. In exchange for her being in debt to the Association for the rest of her life, they would provide her with the money to get an apartment and anything else she requires to live until she turns 18. Feeling she had no other choice, she accepted the deal._

_While she attended high school at Homurahara Academy, Akiko was often called anti-social. The only way for people to strike up a casual conversation with her was to approach and talk to her first. Even then, they wouldn't get a response right away as she would assume initially that they were talking to someone else. These were rare times as well, as the air she gave off made people want to avoid her._

_She was simply living day-to-day, focusing only on school work, martial arts, and mage training. She usually kept her distance from others, not feeling confident enough to break the ice with them. Really, the only time she talked to people was to have a serious chat with them._

_One night during the Fifth War, she was rushing home when she suddenly sensed someone with mana nearby._

_"I know you're there," she said. "Come out already."_

_Silence at first, then a disembodied voice spoke up. "So you were able to sense me?" Blue mana revealed a blue-haired man with red eyes. He was wearing blue spandex with runic protections. "You must be a skilled mage."_

_Akiko took a fighting stance. "You must be a Servant!" This was bad. A Servant would curb-stomp her without breaking a sweat. She needed to get away somehow._

_The man frowned and began walking to Akiko, who took a few steps back. "I'm not gonna hurt you."_

_"And why should I believe that?!"_

_"First of all, I can sense you don't have a Servant. And since you don't, I'm not going to kill you. I'm not really into killing innocent people, much less women."_

_Akiko hesitantly lowered her fists, but kept her guard up. "How can I trust what you say?"_

_"My spear isn't out right now."_

_"A Servant can still easily kill a mere human without a weapon. You'll need to use something else to convince me."_

_"Do you sense any killing intent coming from me?"_

_He was right. Now that Akiko was trying to detect some, she realized she could feel absolutely none coming from this man. He really didn't intend to harm her._

_"Judging by the fact you mentioned a spear, you must belong to the Lancer class."_

_"That's right. You probably already know this, but it'll get dangerous at night soon. Once the Saber Servant is summoned, the Holy Grail War will turn bloody. You're lucky the Servant you ran into happened to be me, but I don't know if the other six are the same, not to mention their Masters."_

_"But I can trust you?"_

_Lancer scratched the back of his head. "That depends. I personally won't attack you unless you make a move against me. But if for some reason my Master wants you dead, then I'll kill you. Well, we might see each other again, uh..."_

_"I'm Akiko Hashimoto."_

_"Right. Well, I'll see ya." With that, Lancer took a massive leap away and vanished from sight._

_But later never came. 14 days later the Fifth Holy Grail War came to an end. Akiko doesn't know when it happened, but that means that Lancer is dead. The weird thing was, Akiko felt a little sad at this knowledge. She only talked to him for a short while, but she found she actually enjoyed it. He might have been able to help her come out of her shell. But he couldn't now and she continued to isolate herself from others._

_When she was 18, she moved to London to study at the Clock Tower, the HQ for the Mage's Association. She focused only on her studies and would always be seen walking the halls alone._

_She enjoyed video games and chatting with people online. She always found that easier since she wasn't talking to the person face-to-face._

_It wasn't as if she was choosing to live her life like this. In truth, she wanted friends to talk to, hang out alongside, and share a laugh with. But whenever she tried to work up the courage to engage someone in a casual chat, she would begin to doubt herself. What if she comes off as irritating? What if she says the wrong thing and they hate her for it?_

_In the end, she went through her entire life up until this point without getting to know someone. She's attempted to get more involved by joining groups and clubs. She ended up quitting them all, not yet finding a place to belong._

_At 20, the Mage's Association sent her here, back to Japan. All they asked her to do was monitor the mage-like beings known as Strains and to send back detailed reports on them. She's been here for nearly one month._

That Mikoto person gives off a similar feeling as her, that of an outcast. He's not quite the same as Servant Lancer, but something about him also seemed to pull her in. Maybe, like Lancer, it was because she could sense danger from him. And felt a strong desire to be part of it more than anything. That rush would make her feel truly alive.

Mikoto mentioned a group with two others. Perhaps they were also the same? Maybe they also felt a thrill in getting involved in dangerous things. Maybe HOMRA is the right place for her. She may finally find the place she belongs. Time will tell.

* * *

No one was in the bar except Izumo and Tatara, with Mikoto relaxing in the room upstairs. The front door swung open and a woman walked in.

"Hello? My name is Akiko Hashimoto. Is this where I can join HOMRA?"

Tatara got up from the couch he was sitting in. "Yes, but how do you know that?"

"Well, putting aside the bar's name is Homra, I was told by Mikoto Suoh that I can join here."

Izumo spoke up. "Ah, you must be the woman Mikoto mentioned a few days ago. Well, I'll take you to see him."

"And this'll bring our number to four," Tatara said.

"Only if she can pass the initiation," Izumo reminded him.

"What initiation?" Akiko asked. Was it going to be some kind of hazing?

A small smirk played on Izumo's lips. "You'll see." He led her upstairs and opened the door to another room. Lounging in a couch was the Red King, Mikoto Suoh.

"So you ended up wanting to join after all, Hashimoto." He held out a hand. "Just shake my hand and you're in."

Akiko took a few steps toward him, unable to believe it would be that easy. Was there some kind of catch? As if to answer her question, flames erupted from the hand Mikoto held out. _'A handshake with fire?'_

Mikoto smirked when he saw surprise appear on Akiko's features. "What's wrong? Just shake my hand."

Akiko squared her jaw and firmly grabbed the fiery hand, believing in her own ability to overcome it. However, this time she felt heat travel up her arm to her whole body. Was it strong enough to break through her Magic Resistance? It shouldn't be, but this felt more like the forming of a contract than magecraft with the intention of harming. She grit her teeth, trying to withstand the burning. She should be strong enough to bear this pain.

After what felt like an eternity, the agonizing sensation suddenly went away. A brief feeling of being stung appeared in her left upper arm. She was wearing short sleeves, so it was a simple matter of glancing at it to see a red flame mark was on it.

Mikoto pulled his hand back. "You're a member of HOMRA now."

"Just out of curiosity, what would've happened if I failed?"

"You would've been burnt and you would've been outta here to get treated."

Akiko heard Izumo behind her chuckle. "I guess you have a good eye for spotting those who'll be able to get into HOMRA, Mikoto."

Mikoto just let out a grumble and looked away, embarrassed. "Shut up with that."

Izumo chucled again and spoke to Akiko. "A guy before you tried to join, but ended up getting burned. We don't let just anyone join, which is why they have to pass this test." He walked over to Akiko and held out a hand for a handshake. "The name's Izumo Kusanagi. And out there -"

Tatara burst into the room, startling both Izumo and Akiko just as Akiko was about to accept Izumo's hand. A giant grin was etched onto his face. "And I'm Tatara Totsuka! Congrats for passing, Hashimoto!"

Izumo grit his teeth, "Dammit, Totsuka! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Tatara giggled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Kusanagi. But it looks like I was right about us getting a new member!"

"It was just a lucky guess," Izumo grumbled.

Akiko glanced at her mark again. "So why did this show up? It looks like a tatoo." Or a Command Seal, since it was also red.

"That shows you're a member of HOMRA. As a result, you get a piece of Mikoto's fire powers," Izumo explained.

"Both of you also have fire abilities?"

"Yes, but Totsuka can't fight like Mikoto and I can."

"Hashimoto," Mikoto broke in, silencing everyone. Akiko looked back at the man, seeing him staring right at her. "What was it that made you decide to join us?"

"King, she's already in," Tatara pointed out. "Whatever it is, it was good enough to be accepted."

"I want to know why my flames accepted her. We three have been friends for awhile, so I know the reasoning you two had. But I wanna know hers."

Akiko looked down, totally nervous and unsure of what to say. "I...Uh..."

Izumo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No! It's just that..." She trailed off.

"You don't want to talk about it?" Tatara guessed.

Akiko shyly nodded. "Yes...It's pretty personal..."

Mikoto let out a sigh. "If you don't wanna open up yet, fine. You probably will in time."

"Thank you, Suoh."

"Right. I should probably tell you that I prefer to be called by my given name."

"Right, um, Mikoto..."

"Gotta say, you weren't like this at the park."

"Well, that situation was a bit different. I wasn't exactly looking to make a good first impression."

Mikoto leaned back in the couch, resting his arms on the back of it. "Don't try to change the way you act. Just do what feels natural."

"I'll...I'll try..."

Tatara popped out in front of her. "Don't think too hard about it. In HOMRA, we're all family!"

That caused a small smile to appear on Akiko's face. "I see...Good."

Izumo heard her. "Hm? Is what Totsuka said a part of the reason you want to join?"

"Kinda," Akiko admitted.

Izumo rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't wanna add more to that?"

"I though it was decided that I could tell you about it when I feel like it."

"...You sure got some spark quickly."

"I'm sorry! Was that too rude?"

"I've gotta agree with Mikoto. I like you better when you don't act so stiff."

"So just act the way I always do?"

"Please."

Tatara laughed. "It seems that someone pretending to act like someone they aren't makes Kusanagi uncomfortable."

"Well, doesn't it make you uncomfortable too?!"

"It does. But I'm not the one freaking out here."

"I'm not freaking out!"

"You're getting a little loud," Akiko put in.

" _That's_ the person I wanna hear from you!"


	2. A New Member

Izumo was behind the counter of the bar, smoking a cigarette. Akiko, Mikoto, and Tatara were sitting in bar stools. Mikoto was sitting between Akiko and Tatara. Akiko had a martini in front of her while Mikoto and Tatara had a glass of water.

A few more people tried to join HOMRA after Akiko, but all of them were burned.

"It seems you guys haven't been able to find any suitable people for HOMRA lately," Akiko was saying.

"You've been in HOMRA for over a month, Hashimoto. You'd figure we'd have another person join us by now," Izumo replied.

"At least all this attention means HOMRA's getting more well-known," Tatara pointed out. Then a large smile beamed across his face. "We should start thinking up a motto!"

"A motto?" Mikoto asked with only a simple glance at Tatara while Izumo and Akiko turned their heads to look at the boy.

"Yeah!" Tatara replied. "You know how the smaller sign says 'No blood, no bone, no ash'? I was thinking that could be HOMRA's motto."

"Not a bad idea," Akiko agreed as she took another sip of her drink. "I actually like that idea a lot." She glanced at Izumo and Mikoto. "What do you guys think?"

"I have no complaints," Izumo replied. He tapped some ash from his cigarette into an ashtray. "Shouting it may be a way to fire everyone up before they fight."

"King?" Tatara prompted.

"Eh, do whatever."

Akiko chuckled and nudged Mikoto with her elbow. The young man didn't react to this. "No opinion? Geez, you can be a handful."

Mikoto just drank from his water. He was completely indifferent about this. "I seriously don't give a crap."

"What if the motto I came up with was something super embarrassing?" Tatara asked.

"Still wouldn't care. You guys would be the ones sayin' it, not me."

"What? You won't join in?"

"Do you seriously see me chanting _anything_?" Mikoto said with a glance at Tatara.

"Point taken."

"Totsuka, you should've known that about Mikoto by now," Izumo said with a smile to the 17-year-old.

Tatara rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous laugh. "Guess you're right."

A person with blond hair and brown eyes suddenly burst into the bar. "You gotta help me!"

"Hold on. Just slow down and tell us what the problem is first," Izumo said.

The person took a couple seconds to catch his breath as if he'd been sprinting nonstop before replying to the question. His hands were on his knees and he was panting hard. "My name's Rikio Kamamoto. And you guys are HOMRA, right?"

"That's correct," Tatara told him. "Do you need us for something?"

"I need your help!" Rikio exclaimed. "There's a large group of drug dealers called Yaksha. Some of my friends are being held hostage and they'll be killed unless I help the group with drug delivery. I screwed up badly yesterday and it's only a matter of time before they find out and kill one of my friends! Please! I beg you to help them!"

Mikoto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked totally bored and was probably unsure whether or not to accept. "We're usually not one for charity, but Yaksha has been stirring up trouble in this city for awhile. Unfortunately, we don't know where their base is."

"I do," Rikio said. "I can take you there."

Mikoto smirked. It seems that he was looking forward to this. "It alright if we burn 'em?"

"As long as it ends with my friends being rescued, I don't care."

"Good. Kusanagi, Totsuka, Hashimoto. Get ready to head out."

* * *

Rikio led the four to an adandoned warehouse at a cargo pier. Mikoto looked up at it.

"I know I checked this place a few months ago. No one was here."

"Yaksha changes their base of operations every month," Rikio told him. "You guys will most likely be fired on once inside. Are you ready?"

Izumo flicked open his lighter. "Don't worry about us." He lit a cigarette in his mouth, but kept the flame going. "Let's do this."

Mikoto grinned. "Burn anyone who gets in our way."

Mikoto, Izumo, and Akiko were the first to burst inside. Men and crates, presumably full of drugs, were everywhere. The people inside were unprepared for a sudden attack.

Red aura surrounded Akiko. "No Blood! No Bone! No Ash!"

Mikoto and Izumo stared at Akiko with one eyebrow raised. The woman didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed.

"It's been decided that's our motto right?" The two decided not to dispute it and instead focused on the task before them. By now, the men from Yaksha all drew their guns and opened fire.

Izumo used sparks from the flame of his lighter to launch several miniature fireballs at some men who began shooting at them. To stop the bullets, Akiko cast a translucent shield that the bullets bounced uselessly off. She doesn't know about Mikoto, but Akiko knows that Izumo can't protect his body from bullets.

As soon as she brought the shield down, several bullets were shot at her. They all bounced off her body; she hardened it the moment they broke through the door. A smirk was plastered on her face. These jokers would need to use a rocket launcher to at least bruise her.

Mikoto conjured a wave of fire under some men running at them from between the crates that reduced them to nothing.

"Damn monsters!"

The one who shouted that tried to fire at Mikoto. Before the bullets could even hit, his aura blocked them and intantly melted them. In response, Mikoto threw some fire by whipping out his arm. Or at least he tried to. The fire that flew forth exploded halfway to the man. "Dammit!"

"Seems you still don't have very good control, Mikoto," Izumo commented. Akiko realized he was right. That fire attack Mikoto used earlier used more force than was necessary. "At least Hashimoto and I are here to back you up. Just...make sure to leave some alive for the police to pick up." He used a whip of fire to knock the man shooting at them out. "Totsuka! We've made it so you and Kamamoto have some crates to hide behind!"

Those two came dashing into the warehouse, sliding into cover from bullets behind some crates while the other three stood before the crates like a trio of guards, warding off the attackers.

Over a dozen spears of magenta flame appeared over and around the sides of Akiko. When she first used this attack, it was when she was to apprehend a gang. Izumo was with her to act as back-up since it was assumed that she wasn't used to Mikoto's flames yet. When she summoned those spears without any trouble, Izumo was surprised. She told them that channelling the fire and controlling it wasn't any different than channelling mana within herself and casting spells.

While she can utilize the fire she got from Mikoto, it relies on her own mana for use just like with the rest of her magecraft. In other words, she can remain useful in battle as long as she still has enough mana to channel the flames.

She launched them at the several dozen men firing at them. But before the spears hit, each of them burst into numerous needles of flame. Akiko directed the needles with her mana. The men and even the crates they were hiding behind were turned into piles of those magenta flames. "That may have been overkill." Only one needle was needed to set someone on fire. More than that would leave nothing left.

"What _are_ you people?!" Rikio demanded.

Izumo looked back at Rikio and smirked. "Just a gang of hoodlums." He threw another whip of fire at some crates a few Yaksha members hid behind. "Go with Totsuka and rescue your friends! We'll keep them distracted!"

Rikio was still staring in awe. He looked to have been slapped back into reality at Izumo's words. "R-Right!" He looked at Tatara. "It's this way!"

He led Tatara to a room at the back. The Yaksha men were too distracted by the other three from HOMRA to notice.

Rikio tried to turn the knob of the door to the room where his friends were being kept. The knob wouldn't turn. "Damn! It's locked! Shoulda known!"

Tatara gently nudged Rikio out of the way and looked at the keyhole. "I may not be able to fight, but I excel at fine work like this." Red aura surrounded him and he covered the lock with the palm of his hand. A second later, there was a small boom and the doorknob fell off. "I just busted the lock." He pulled his hand back and the door groaned open a little. Bangs resounded behind them like background music.

Rikio grabbed the door and threw it open. Inside the room were several gagged people bound to chairs. Rikio and Tatara ran over to them and worked on untying one. "I swore that I'd find a way to free you guys, didn't I?"

The person suddenly was trying to say something, but the gag was muffling her words. A second later, Rikio and Tatara heard the click of a gun behind them and they froze.

"And what exactly do you two think you're doin'?"

Tatara and Rikio held up their hands, turning around slowly to face the Yaksha member pointing a gun at them.

He grinned. "I get ordered to check on the hostages and what do I find? A traitor and the weakest member of HOMRA."

"Don't do this," Tatara said slowly. The man got closer to Tatara, almost pressing the barrel to his forehead.

"Or what?" The grin turned into a smirk. He was completely confident he would succeed in winning against these two.

Rikio moved, tackling the man to the ground. The gun went off and the bullet went into Rikio's right shoulder, but that didn't stop him. He laid punch after punch on the man's face. "You damn Yaksha guys ruined my life! Now you'll pay!" Blood was flying onto Rikio's face, but he didn't let up. The gun was pointed at Rikio's head, but Rikio knocked the weapon out of the man's hand before it could be fired again.

Someone came into the room. Rikio expected another person from Yaksha.

"Totsuka, I got your butterfly - whoa, what's goin' on?!"

"Kusanagi, help me with the hostages!" Tatara had already freed one.

Izumo glanced at Rikio, who was still venting his anger on the now-unconcious man. "Right!"

* * *

Akiko fired a couple fireballs at some men trying to shoot her. They were reduced to smoldering piles of blackened body parts and ash. "God, how many of these fuckers are there?!" One came from behind a crate and ran at her from behind, holding a metal pipe. She turned her head and glared at him. A column of fire came from up under his feet and consumed his entire body, leaving absolutely nothing, not even ash, behind.

Mikoto glanced at her. The rain of bullets were still failing to hit him. Melted piles of lead hit the ground. "Yaksha is a large organization. But I agree these numbers are a bit much."

"My mana won't last forever," Akiko informed him. "I mean, I still have plenty left. But this starting to look endless. I may end up finding myself defenseless." She turned her head to look at Mikoto. "My mana is also being used to harden my body. I may need to stop that soon in order to save mana."

"Dammit!" Mikoto spat as he tried to reflect bullets back, only to have them explode. "If only I had more control over my powers, you wouldn't need to exhaust yourself!"

"I mean it, Mikoto. I'll be fine."

Mikoto looked ready to protest this, but stopped himself. "...Fine."

"I honestly never thought you would care that much about me."

Mikoto quickly looked away from her. "You're my clansman is all!"

Akiko giggled at seeing Mikoto act like this. "Since you're my king, I'll make sure to give my all in this!" A ball of fire formed over her head and she launched it at the men shooting at them from an open platform one floor up. The platform broke apart when the blast hit it and the men came crashing down onto the hard, unforgiving floor. The fall knocked them out and probably broke a few bones.

Tatara, Izumo, and Rikio came running out, followed by the freed hostages. Mikoto launched a wave of fire at some of the men that popped out, countering the bullets they fired while taking them out at the same time.

Tatara and Rikio hid behind some crates while Izumo covered the hostages' escape from the warehouse.

"Not going to run as well?" Tatara asked Rikio.

Rikio shook his head. "No way. I wanna see Yaksha go down with my own eyes." Mikoto and Akiko took out more men with fire. "You guys really are amazing."

"It almost looks like King and Hashimoto are dancing with the fire," Tatara agreed. Those two were fighting alongside each other in perfect sync, almost as if they had done this their whole lives.

Akiko blasted one final person. "I think that's all." She released the mana to harden her body. As she turned her head to Tatara, she saw a man that had been hiding behind some crates run at the brown-haired boy, holding a knife. "Shit! Totsuka!"

Akiko quickly moved herself in between Tatara and the man. The knife sunk in Akiko's right arm.

"Hashimoto!" Tatara shouted. Akiko used her left arm, fist full of magecraft, and punched the guy in the face. His body went flying back and smashed through a crate full of drugs. She then grabbed the knife, ripped it out of her arm, and crushed it.

"Let's go back to the bar already." She wasn't looking forward to any more surprises in here. She just wanted to get back to Homra and relax.

Izumo took out his phone. "Right. If any more stragglers are left, the police should be able to take care of 'em."

"Kamamoto, you should come with us," Tatara said to the tanned boy.

"Huh? Shouldn't we send him home?" Akiko asked.

"There are other branches of Yaksha in Japan," Tatara told her. "Kamamoto may know where they're located." Tatara went over to the boy still behind a crate. "Let's go. You don't have anything going on at your house, do you?"

"No. I just don't know how much help I can be to you guys. I only heard bits and pieces about the rest of Yaksha."

Tatara, Izumo, and Rikio began heading for the entrance to the warehouse. Akiko started to follow them.

"Hashimoto, wait."

Akiko stopped and looked back over her shoulder at the king. "What?" Mikoto pulled his jacket off. Akiko faced him fully. "What's going on?"

"You're bleeding a lot," came Mikoto's simple reply. He tore off a bit of his sleeve and went over to the silver-haired woman.

Akiko's face went red as the king began to tie it over her stab wound like a bandage. "It-It's not bothering me! You don't need to do this!"

Mikoto ignored her and tied the cloth. "Finished. That should do until we get back to the bar."

* * *

"...And that's everything I know."

They were all back in the bar. Rikio was sitting in a couch and giving HOMRA as much as he knew about the remainder of Yaksha. The other four were gathered around, listening to him. Izumo had already used the first-aid kit and treated her injury. When he had taken off the makeshift bandage Mikoto put on her, she saw a smirk form on Izumo's lips and he quickly glanced at the redhead. The bandage was now replaced with a regular one. Izumo then treated the gunshot wound Rikio received. Luckily, the bullet had gone out the back of his shoulder.

Izumo put a hand to his chin once Rikio was finished. "That may be enough info to eventually find 'em."

Rikio looked surprised. "I didn't think it was that much. Do you have an informant?"

Izumo grinned. "That's a secret."

Tatara rested his elbows on the table. "So, Kamamoto, what do you think about joining HOMRA?"

"Huh?!" That was everyone else, including Rikio.

"You showed unwavering loyalty to your friends. You could fit in well."

"If I join, will I be able to wield the same power you guys do?"

"That depends," Izumo replied. "First you'd have to pass the test."

"I just want to have the power to protect those I care about! For that, I'll do anything!"

Mikoto extended his hand to Rikio and flames covered it.

"Then can you shake my hand, Kamamoto?"

Rikio gulped nervously before grabbing the flaming hand.

"I wonder if he'll be accepted?" Akiko wondered out loud.

"We'll see in a second," Tatara replied. The tense expression on Rikio's face suddenly went away. "Looks like we have a new member of HOMRA."

Rikio looked confused as he glanced at Tatara. "So I'm in now?"

"You didn't get burned by Mikoto's aura, so yes," Izumo answered.

Tatara went over and clapped Rikio on the back. "I'd knew it would all work out somehow!"

* * *

Soon after Rikio joined, a lot of girls started showing up at the bar. It got so bad that Rikio was having to distract the ladies while Izumo struggled to keep up with the plethora of orders. Not that they minded waiting with Rikio talking with them. Akiko and Tatara volunteered to aid Izumo in the kitchen.

"We're getting more money from the females than ever!" Izumo was saying.

Another "kyaa!" sounded from inside the bar and Akiko groaned.

"Man those girls are annoying."

Izumo chuckled. "You aren't fawning all over him like the other girls."

"Whatever," was Akiko's reply. "I'm not the type to fawn over a guy."

"Yeah, you definitely aren't like most girls. You're pretty tomboyish."

Akiko glanced at him. "Is that a complaint I hear?"

"Not at all! I actually think it's the thing about you that causes you to fit in with HOMRA."

Tatara spoke up. "I never thought Kamamoto would be this popular with females."

"Whatever."

Tatara laughed nervously. "Is that your answer to everything?"

"No. I'm saying it because I really don't care."

"Boy, you and King can be so apathetic when it comes to certain things."

Izumo chuckled. "Yeah. They're perfect for each other!"

"Are you shipping us?!"

"Maybe."

"Get ready to be disappointed. He's my king and I'm his clansman. Our relationship won't develop any further than that."

"We'll see."

* * *

"King turns 19 in a couple days!" Tatara announced one day. He, Rikio, and Akiko were lounging around the bar while Izumo was double-checking the amount of liquor he had behind the counter. Mikoto was currently somewhere in the city.

Akiko looked surprised. "I didn't know his birthday was coming up."

"Why else do you think I sent him out?" Izumo asked. He had taken a brief break from taking stock of what he had. He already knew he was going to need to fetch more whisky from the basement.

"He doesn't care too much about his birthday. He's even forgotten it before," Tatara said.

Izumo continued it. "We all need to think up somethin' to give him."

"I'll treat him to his favorite restaurant!" Tatara exclaimed.

"Mikoto has a favorite restaurant?" Akiko asked.

"He won't admit it, but he does."

Rikio looked embarrassed. "I've only been in HOMRA for a few weeks, so I don't know what Mikoto likes. I'll probably just get him a gift card."

Tatara looked at Izumo. "What about you, Kusanagi?"

Izumo inhaled deeply. "He's been complaining about his bed. Might buy him a new mattress. However, the damn idiot will probably pester me to let him drink, just like last year."

Akiko cocked her head. "You haven't let him drink yet?"

"We may be a group of outlaws, but there are some laws I'll follow."

Akiko looked down, unsure of how to contribute. "What can I do for him..?"

"Maybe you could offer to spend the night with him, if you know what I mean," Izumo said with a smirk and wink. Akiko's face turned beet-red and Tatara and Rikio started laughing.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Izumo didn't shut up as Akiko shouted at him to. "It would make his special day even more special."

"I absolutely will not do that!"

"I wouldn't worry. He doesn't bite. Well, he might in bed."

"I'm not some kinda prositute!"

"Is it really prositution though? You're not bein' paid for this and, be honest, don't you wanna do it with him too?"

"NO I DON'T!"

"Don't be that way. Just try it out. Both of you could end up likin' it."

"God, why are you so set on us sleeping together?!"

"I'm just trying to make my king and a fellow clansman happy."

Akiko was still red. "I-I'm going out!"

She stomped to the door, threw it open, and then slammed it behind her.

"Wasn't that a bit much, Kusanagi?" Rikio asked.

"No. I really do think she and Mikoto match each other well. Both seem to try hiding their true feelings, but sometimes you get a glimpse of what lies underneath. In fact, during high school, Totsuka and I caught Mikoto in an emotionally vulnerable position. He reacted very similarly to the way Hashimoto just did."

"She seems to get worked up much faster than he does."

"I never said they were completely alike, only similar. Although that part of her you mentioned does remind me of a Mikoto before he became king. He had a short fuse in high school."

"Seriously?"

Izumo rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish smile. "It'll take some time to rattle off the names of all the people he beat up and/or yelled at. Totsuka and myself are unfortunately also on that list."

"And you guys still remained friends with him?"

"Even though we were supposedly playing around before it got violent, its not like we were gonna let that ruin the bond we had." Tatara was also smiling and nodding in agreement. "Anyway, those two may eventually develop feelings for each other. Since they don't exactly wear what they really feel on their sleeve, it could require some pushing on our part."

* * *

Akiko was walking through the city in an attempt to calm herself. Though she was a member of HOMRA, she didn't look like it. The only indicator was the insignia just above her left elbow. Due to this, people she passed didn't pay her any mind and simply went about their own business.

There was no way she could bring herself to ask her _king_ if he wanted to have sex with her and just as small of a chance that she would attempt to start a relationship with him! She couldn't believe Izumo would even suggest that! Sure, she _respects_ Mikoto. That doesn't mean she wants to sleep with him!

She was too wrapped up in her thought to notice she was about to collide with someone until it was too late. Her body smacked into a warm chest and she quickly took a step back, bowing in apology.

"I'm so sorry for that! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

There was a huff. "I thought ya weren't going to be actin' this way to me anymore."

Akiko recognized that voice and looked up. When she saw that head of messy red hair and those amber eyes, her face flushed, realizing the person she was being overly polite to was her king.

"Mikoto?!"

"You look mad. Somethin' happen?"

"Something Kusanagi said is all."

"Yeah. That bastard seems to always find a way to get under your skin. What'd he say to get under yours?"

Akiko's blush grew more intense and she looked away. "N-Nothing!"

Mikoto actually looked unsure of what to say since the conversation just hit a dead end. "Well, I'm goin' back to the bar. Maybe you should too. I don't know how angry ya were when you left, but you've probably cooled down a lot in comparison."

"I think we should go into the bar separately."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "There a reason for that?"

"Um, well..."

"Kusanagi teased you about me, right?"

Akiko's eyes went wide, not just because Mikoto hit the nail on the head, but also because of the blunt way he said it. "How did you..?!"

Mikoto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "So I was right. He teased me about you shortly after Kamamoto joined."

"Wait, he did?"

"He knew that was a piece of my shirt on your arm. When I came out of my room after changing shirts, he asked if I was developing feeling for you. I told him you're my clansman and I only did what I did because of that fact."

"I told him you're my king, and that's all."

"He'll eventually get tired of teasing us, though it might not stop for awhile. In high school, a girl in my year was really into me. Kusanagi didn't stop teasing me about her until I graduated earlier this year and she moved away for college. At that time, the teasing had gone down significantly."

"So I'm replacing her?"

"Looks like it."

Akiko didn't realize she had been walking side-by-side with Mikoto until she looked up and saw Homra's front doors before them. The people they walked by made sure to stay out of their way, probably due to the violent air emanating from Mikoto. "So maybe you could go in first and I'll enter in a few minutes."

Mikoto exhaled deeply. "Nah, Kusanagi probably already saw us from the window. May as well get it over with."

Akiko was by Mikoto's side as the king opened the doors. Tatara looked over at them. He was laying in one of the couches. "You two are back now?"

Izumo was washing the dishes. "Did you two have fun?"

Mikoto didn't take the very obvious bait. "Sure, whatever. You guys do much of anything?"

"Not really. Kamamoto went home. His parents called for him."

"I see." Mikoto plopped down in the couch Tatara wasn't using while Akiko sat down in a chair to one of the bar's tables.

Tatara looked back and forth between Mikoto and Akiko. "So did you guys end up doing anything outside?" His tone wasn't teasing. He was genuinely curious.

"We talked is all." Mikoto's reply was blunt. Out of the corner of her eye, Akiko saw Izumo lift his head. This got his attention.

"About what?"

"Kusanagi stickin' his damn nose where it doesn't belong." Mikoto shot Izumo a nasty glare when he said this. His amber eyes held something dangerous in their depths. "It's high school all over again."

Izumo chuckled and worked on washing a plate. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Mikoto cursed and looked away. "Just don't make this last who know how many years."


	3. The Bomber Part 1

Everyone was staring at Rikio. Over the last couple of weeks he had been eating more. He had gained weight at a shocking speed. Now, he was barely recognizable. He also wound up getting a couple rings to wear, a couple chain necklaces, and a pair of shades. He was really pulling off that thug look. It was honestly surprising that his parents let him walk around looking like that. But, then again, they seemed to be fine with knowing their son is a member of HOMRA. They must be fine with whatever he decides to do as long as he stays in school and doesn't get arrested.

Izumo broke the silence first. "...What happened to you?!"

"I lose my appetite in the summer," was Rikio's simple reply.

"Uh huh..."

"It shouldn't matter what shape my body's in as long as I can still be useful!"

"Fatty's got a point," Akiko said.

"Are you going to call me that instead of my name from now on?!" Rikio demanded.

"Not all the time. Only if you get on my nerves."

* * *

A few days later, Izumo had to leave the bar to pick up an order. He returned after about an hour. "Kamamoto, I have what you requested." Izumo held up a dark blue hooded sweatshirt with the HOMRA mark on the left breast. The sweatshirt was clearly made for and overweight person.

"Thanks, Kusanagi. Now I can show I'm a member of HOMRA," Rikio replied.

Akiko directed a question at Rikio. "Why can't you show your own insignia?"

"I can't exactly display my own HOMRA mark because it's on my buttcheek."

Akiko looked at Mikoto. "Do you have _any_ control over where the mark appears?"

"Nope."

Akiko was secretly glad hers was in a perfectly harmless location on her, on the back of her left upper arm over her elbow. But seriously? It can show up on your ass? She had never seen Rikio's mark. She knew Izumo's and Tatara's were on their backs, and so she assumed Rikio's was on his back as well. She never would've guessed it was on his butt.

"Jeez, wonder when someone'll get a tramp stamp..?"

Tatara glanced from the sweatshirt back to Rikio. "Kamamoto, what will do come summer when you're skinny again?"

Rikio laughed. "Guess we'll see whan summer comes, won't we?"

"Wait, so you don't have a plan?" Akiko asked.

"Summer isn't exactly the best time to wear a sweatshirt. I'll probably have the mark on a necklace or something."

* * *

When Akiko entered Homra, she looked around and saw no one else present except Mikoto. The king was sitting in one of the bar's couches, the one with his back facing the window.

"Where's everyone else?" Akiko asked.

"Totsuka and Kamamoto are at school right now and Kusanagi had to go grocery shopping just before you arrived."

"...This was planned by Kusanagi, wasn't it?" There was no helping this is a weekday, but Izumo just happened to leave right before Akiko comes to the bar, leaving her and Mikoto alone?

"Most likely."

Akiko sat down on the couch opposite of Mikoto, the one facing the window.

"During this time of day the sun would be on your face," Mikoto said. "Come sit down next to me."

Akiko blushed slightly but eventually sighed and stood up. Why was she even reacting this way? She moved to the couch the redhead was sitting in and sat down at one end of it. It felt as if she was sitting too close, what with him in the middle. Akiko felt a little awkward since she and Mikoto weren't saying anything, silence filling the bar. Her cheeks continued to burn.

The heat from the sunlight was making Akiko sleepy and she allowed her eyes to close. Soon after she entered a deep sleep, she fell to the side and her head hit Mikoto's upper arm. Mikoto instinctively grabbed her with his other arm so she wouldn't hit the ground next.

Mikoto kept stealing quick glances at Akiko, unsure if he should wake her. Then her fingers curled into his shirt and a groan of defeat escaped the king's throat. Why was this happening?

_Akiko was standing on a hill overlooking Shizume. In the sky was a ring of blue. Below was Shizume in flames, the black-and-red mud that poured from the ring destroying everything in its path as it flooded the streets. The air was filled with the screams of people as they struggled not to be killed. Akiko could only watch in horror as the city burned._

_Once the cursed Grail Mud vanished, leaving behind only flames, Akiko ran to Homra. She needed to warn the men of the danger the curses contained in that mud posed. "You guys need to get outta here!" As soon as she reached the bar, it felt as if roots had sprouted from her feet and buried themselves in the ground. She saw a blackened and crumbling building where the bar used to be. Some of the walls and the door had been burned away. It felt as though ice had been dumped on her. No, everyone must have evacuated the bar, right? There was no way-_

_She went back to her initial reaction when she spotted Mikoto's unconscious body among the wreckage inside. Her feet were no longer rooted to the ground and she took a step toward the building and it shook and collapsed, burying Mikoto and who knows how many others from HOMRA._

_"No!" she gasped. Then she looked around wildly. "Is anyone still alive?!"_

_There was no reply. There was only the roaring of flames, the crumbling of buildings, and columns of smoke filling the sky._

The front door swung open and Izumo came walking in. He immediately saw Mikoto with Akiko sleeping against the king's shoulder. "There's our lion and lioness."

Mikoto raised one eyebrow at Izumo. "What?"

"Y'know how Totsuka compared you to a lion? Wouldn't that make Hashimoto a lioness?"

Mikoto sighed. "If Hashimoto were awake, she would've given you a severe tongue-lashing for that."

Izumo ignored Mikoto and was looking at Akiko's sleeping form. "She's grippin' your shirt tightly. She must feel safe with you."

"I think she's probably havin' a nightmare. She's been whinin' and grimacin'."

"You haven't woken her to get her out of it?"

"Tried. She's dug in like a tick."

Izumo went behind the bar's counter. "I figured I'd find you sleeping when I got back. Not her."

A few minutes later, Akiko's eyes shot open and she was shaking.

Mikoto turned his gaze to her. "You awake now?"

Akiko blinked several times and turned her gaze to the young man, sleep still clouding her mind. It took her a couple seconds to register just who she had been sleeping on. She jolted back with a yelp when it sunk in.

Izumo chuckled. "You enjoy sleepin' on Mikoto?"

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed to Izumo. "When did you get here?!"

"A little bit ago. Gotta say it was nice seein' ya get cozy with him."

Akiko huffed and sharply turned her head away. "Shut up!"

"You're lucky he didn't ravage you."

Now it was Mikoto's turn to growl "shut up" at Izumo. Izumo response was just to laugh. He didn't seem to notice the death glare Akiko shot at him.

"Maybe you two should give each other a kiss?"

Mikoto narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you should shut your mouth before I shut it for you?"

"Yer getting worked up a lot over this, Mikoto. Are you tryin' to hide somethin'?"

"Of course not. But your constant teasing is getting on my nerves."

Izumo kept grinning. "Ooh, scary scary."

* * *

"...Another building was blown up today," Tatara was saying. Izumo was behind the bar counter while the other four were relaxing in the bar stools.

"We gonna do something soon?" Rikio asked.

"Eventually, a reward my be offered for the capture of the person or people responsible," Izumo said. "That's when we'll strike. Now, putting that aside, a little birdie told me we have a birthday to celebrate next week."

"Really? Whose?" Tatara asked. Unseen to him, Akiko stiffened.

"Hashimoto turns 21 on October 17."

Tatara turned to Akiko. "Really? You never told us."

"It's a day where I'm a year older, that's all," Akiko replied.

"Didn't you celebrate your birthday with your friends and family?"

Akiko's face turned red, much to the surprise of everyone. "...Not really..."

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" Rikio asked.

"Everyone keep forgettin' it?" Izumo added.

"I can see friends doin' that, but not your family."

"Then what's the issue?"

"That was my question!"

Akiko's face went an even brighter red and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't have friends or family, alright?!" Then she realized what she just shouted and she looked embarrassed.

Izumo just stared. "Come again?"

"What happened?" Rikio asked.

"Guys, just let her answer," Tatara told them.

"Thanks, Totsuka. There was a magecraft ritual in Fuyuki known as the Fourth Holy Grail War, which took place in 1994. My parents died in the aftermath's disaster. As for my lack of friends, I was never able to make any."

"That means this'll be your first birthday with friends."

Everyone was staring at Mikoto in shock. Izumo broke the silence first. "I expected to hear Totsuka say that. Never _you_ , Mikoto."

Tatara had a gentle smile. "Friends mean a lot to you, don't they King?"

Mikoto turned his head away. "Shut up."

Izumo chuckled and looked back at Akiko. "So that must be your reason for joining us."

Akiko seemed to shrink down in her seat from embarrassment. "Yes..."

Tatara put one hand on Akiko's back. "Like King says, you'll be able to spend it with friends now."

Rikio grinned. "I didn't know Mikoto was so soft."

Mikoto gave Rikio a glare so intense that it should've burned a hole in him. "Why don't you shut up, Kamamoto?"

"Looks like someone's a little cranky," Izumo said.

Mikoto grumbled something. It was hard to make out the words, but it vaguely sounded like "shut the fuck up".

* * *

Tatara entered the bakery to pick up the ordered cake for Akiko's birthday. The air was heavy with the smell of sweets. He went up to the man behind the counter. "You have the cake I ordered?"

The man brought out a box and put it on the counter. "Got it right here."

Suddenly, there was a boom and the building shook violently. The next thing Tatara knew, the ceiling collapsed and everything went black.

* * *

"...I see. Thank you for calling." Izumo hung up the phone. Everyone except Tatara was in the bar. "Guys, Totsuka's in the hospital."

Akiko looked up from the conversation she was having with Rikio at a booth by one of the aquariums and turned her attention to Izumo. "Why? What happened?"

"He was at a bakery to pick up the cake for your birthday when a bomb right next to it went off. He broke three ribs, dislocated one arm, broke the other, has a concussion, received severe internal bleeding, and has multiple lacerations."

Mikoto's face wasn't showing any emotion. But when Izumo finished listing off Tatara's injuries, one of his eyebrows twitched.

"Can we visit him?" Rikio asked.

"We'll see when we get there."

Mikoto got up from the couch and went to the stairway leading up to his room. He came back out to the bar wearing a black leather coat with black fur around the edges of the pulled-down hood. "Let's go."

In the van Izumo owned, which was parked at the back of the bar, Mikoto sat in the passenger seat and Izumo was driving. Akiko and Rikio sat in the back seat. They eventually came to a stop in the parking lot of Shizume's hospital. Once they all got out, they entered the building.

People inside noticed them right away and began whispering amongst themselves if the four weren't from the mafia or anything else.

Izumo walked up to the front desk. "We're HOMRA, here to see Tatara Totsuka." He was ignoring the whispers. He was probably already used to it.

Almost immediately, the whispers changed to speculations about what business HOMRA would have with this Tatara person.

The woman at the desk looked a little nervous at having to deal with HOMRA, but pulled up Tatara's file on her computer nonetheless. "I'm sorry, but only family can visit him at this time." Then she looked at her computer again. "Wait. Mr. Totsuka has HOMRA listed as his family. He's in room 307." Once the group went away from the desk, the woman looked relieved to no longer be stared down by them.

The four went up to the third floor and then entered the room told to them. Hooked up to various IVs and a heart monitor was Tatara. He was covered in bandaged and he had a cast on his arm as well as his chest. His face was swollen in a couple places.

"Oh, King..."

Tatara looked somewhat out of it. He was probably all drugged up on painkillers. Mikoto was probably the first of the group that he saw.

"The rest of us are here too!" Rikio pointed out.

Izumo punched the clansman on the head. "Keep your voice down in here!"

Akiko took a step toward his bed. "How do you feel?"

Tatara was looking at Akiko with a dazed expression, as if he didn't even know where he was. "Queen..?"

Akiko's face went red while Izumo and Rikio sputtered out a laugh, making sure to keep it quiet. Mikoto just continued to gaze at Tatara with a cool look on his face.

"We'll track down the person who did this."

"You can say that again!" Izumo agreed. "Isn't that right, you two?"

"Yeah," Rikio replied. "They can't expect to get away with hurting one of our own."

Akiko grinned, her embarrassment vanishing in an instant. "They'll learn the hard way what happens if you hurt someone from HOMRA."

* * *

"One of my sources told me where we can find someone who used to hire people to carry out terrorist attacks," Izumo said. "He may not be linked to who we're lookin'for, but he may know who we can question next."

The four were in Izumo's van again while he was talking. The vehicle stopped in front of a run-down, but still structurally sound, building.

Mikoto glanced at it. "This the location you were told?"

"Yep." Everyone got out of the van.

Izumo put a cigarette in between his lips and lit it. After he inhaled, he took out the white stick with two fingers and blew out smoke. "They probably already see us from between the boards over the windows, but they'll most likely be unprepared for a sudden raid." He took out his PDA and brought up someone's picture. "We're lookin' for Osamu Nishimura. Try not to kill this one before we can question him."

Akiko glanced at Izumo. "How'd you know about this place?"

"That's a secret."

Akiko sweatdropped. "I'm sure..."

Mikoto smirked. "Burn 'em."

"No Blood! No Bone! No Ash!" Akiko and Rikio shouted, each pumping one fist into the air. Izumo grinned. He launched several fireballs from his cigarette that blasted the front door down. The four went through the massive hole it left.

Several men came at the group from all directions, almost like they were expecting to be attacked by someone. Were they tipped about this? They were armed with close-combat weapons off all kinds, no guns so they wouldn't risk shooting each other, but they stood no chance against HOMRA.

The door at the end of the room led to a hallway. There, they were attacked again. This time was easier since the men came at them either from the front or from behind.

One man with a knife ran at Mikoto from behind, fully intending to stab him. But right before reaching Mikoto, the king nailed the man in the face with a flaming backfist that sent him flying back into the wall at the start of the hallway.

Rikio punched down the door to the final room with a fist engulfed in flames. In it was a single man standing behind a desk. He matched the man in the picture. He was the target to question.

The man shakily held up a gun and shot it several times until it was empty at the four. Before they could hit, Mikoto generated a wall of his aura in front of the four that melted each bullet. Izumo placed a hand on Akiko's shoulder, a signal that it was her turn next.

The second the barrier vanished, Akiko shot forward. She grabbed the man, held him up with one hand, and then slammed his body through the desk.

Mikoto rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not that good at interrogation."

Izumo smiled. "I know. Hashimoto!"

Akiko went over to the man weakly trying to crawl away, turned him onto his back, and grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt. "Start talking, you sack of shit, or else! Do you know anything about who was serial bombing Shizume?!"

"Why the hell should I tell you anything?!" the man spat. The grip on his collar got tighter. Akiko's eyes burned red and she was snarling. Izumo only said she's a lioness as a joke. In reality, she's more like a wolf.

"Because if you don't I'll rip out your fuckin' heart, that's why!"

"She's not lying. I've seen her do it before," Rikio said.

Izumo chuckled. "Ya might wanna tell her if you plan on leavin' here in one piece. I dunno what she'll do to ya leading up to that, but I bet it won't be pretty." He glanced at Akiko. She was playing Bad Cop well. Actually, sometimes during a raid it's like a switch for her current mood goes off and she becomes incredibly aggressive to her enemies and thankfully not to her allies. She really doesn't need to try hard to be Bad Cop. And Rikio was telling the truth. Akiko did in facf rip out someone's heart during a raid. She didn't seem to mind being covered in blood. It was almost like she's used to it. With Tatara in the hospital, it was probably up to Izumo to be Good Cop.

"Fucking shit! What is she, HOMRA's attack dog?!"

The whole time, Izumo was wearing a kind smile. Completely out of place for the given situation. "She's not the only one, but if you don't answer, she'll rip you to pieces and I don't know if she can be stopped before then. She's a very quick worker." He walked over and squatted so he was eye level with the man. "We have other means of finding the answer, but it'll be faster if you just tell us. I'm sure that dying isn't one of your plans for today." Behind them, Rikio was smirking and Mikoto was leaning back against the doorframe, watching this unfold. He'd never admit it, but he actually was looking forward to Akiko ripping out another scumbag's heart. He liked seeing her be viscous. "So, do you know anything about the person responsible for the bombings?"

Unseen to any of them, one man was at the mostly-closed door of the closet. In one of hands was a detonator.

Mikoto seemed to sense his killing intent, because he suddenly lunged forward toward Akiko and Izumo, both unaware of the danger. "Get back!"

It was too late. The button on the detonator was pushed and the body of the man being interrogated exploded.


	4. The Bomber Part 2

When the smoke cleared, Akiko found herself on her butt. She, Izumo, and Rikio were behind Mikoto. In front of him was a massive shield of magenta. The room was completely destroyed with a couple walls completely gone.

"What happened?" Akiko asked.

Mikoto brought the shield down. "A bomb was on that guy," he replied. "I pulled you and Kusanagi back to Kamamoto in time to put up a barrier to protect from the blast."

Izumo had multiple cuts and scrapes on him. But he appeared pissed more than anything. "Goddamn it! We must've been interrogating a double while the real one used the explosion as a cover to give us the slip!"

"I suspected something was up. Their response at the entrance was almost like they knew we were coming. So I sent one of my pigeon familiars to scout around the building and to tail anyone who tries to get away," Akiko said. She took out her PDA and looked at it. "It's in hot pursuit of that asshole."

"Great way to think ahead," Izumo replied. "I also think they somehow found out I got that info."

"Let's hurry and get him."

"You should take it easy," Mikoto said to Akiko. "I was a little rough when pulling you away. I was more concerned with gettin' you two back here than being gentle about it."

"I'm all right." Akiko then stood up. When she did, her right leg buckled and she fell back down with a grimace. "Dammit!"

Mikoto went over to her and crouched down. "You can't walk, huh?" He looked over his shoulder back at Izumo. "I'll stay with Hashimoto. You and Kamamoto chase after that guy."

Izumo looked at Mikoto. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Just make sure you catch that piece of shit and learn all you can from him."

Izumo didn't crack any jokes about how the king would be alone with Akiko. The situation was too serious for that. "Right. Let's go, Kamamoto!"

"Alright!" Rikio replied.

Akiko looked at Izumo. "Kusanagi, I'll send you the information on the GPS I have on that pigeon." She tapped a few things on her phone. The notification alert on Izumo's went off. "I just sent you the tracking data."

"Thanks!" Izumo and Rikio dashed out the blasted wall of the building to the van.

"Now to get you out of here," Mikoto murmured while looking at Akiko's bad ankle. A bruise was rapidly forming on it.

"Mikoto, seriously, I'm fine," Akiko insisted. She tried to stand up again but then collapsed.

Mikoto didn't say anything. He just turned around and presented his back to the silver-haired woman. "Climb onto my back. I'll carry you back to the bar."

Akiko's heart was hammering in her chest and her eyes were wide. "...What?!"

"Your ankle's twisted. So I'll take you back."

"Wait! Are you serious about this?!"

"Of course I am. As king, I should take care of my clansmen when needed."

Akiko remained silent. A few seconds later, Mikoto felt warm weight press against his back. He hooked his arms under Akiko's legs and fully stood up. Her hands were clasped onto his shoulders.

"You're lighter then I thought you'd be," Mikoto said.

Akiko instantly went red and looked away. "Sh-Shut up! Idiot..." Now, Mikoto would normally get mildly annoyed if someone called him an idiot - who even liked it?! - but for some reason he didn't mind Akiko calling him one.

"What? I thought it'd be a compliment."

Akiko buried her face into Mikoto's hair in order to hide her embarrassment. "You're an idiot..." Mikoto noticed that Akiko's fingers dug into his coat and her face pressed into his scalp even further. "You're such an idiot..." If Izumo could see them now, it'd make for great ammunition to use against them.

The king sighed. "You're an idiot too."

"Whatever..."

"Well, this is better than carrying you bridal style. I remember Kusanagi sayin' that when he did, you yelled at him so loudly that his ears were ringin' the rest of the day."

Akiko's cheeks burned even more. Izumo must have forgotten that she raised the volume of her voice when he said she probably wishes that it was Mikoto who was carrying her.

"There's no guarantee I'd do that to you..."

"I'd rather not risk it."

"But you're still carrying me."

"Gotta get you back to the bar somehow."

Akiko averted her eyes and muttered something incomprehensible. Her attention went to the actual ride on Mikoto's back. His body was so warm. The heat coming from him contrasted greatly with the cold air. His hair felt soft against her face. It all felt so nice that she almost fell asleep. She willed herself to stay awake, though.

Mikoto actually found he enjoyed having Akiko on his back. Was he only thinking this was nice due to the fact her boobs were pressed against his neck?

Once they entered the bar, the king set Akiko down on the booth by the window then went to the freezer and got some ice in a plastic baggie. Mikoto returned to the silver-haired mage and handed her the ice pack. "Just hold this on your ankle and don't move from this spot."

Akiko took the ice pack and held it to her ankle. "I gotta say, you're being really nice to me today."

"Like I said, it should be my duty as a king to look out for my clansmen."

"Right. Just looking out for your clansman." Mikoto didn't notice Akiko hide the fact she was slightly disappointed.

Akiko had the ice pack on her ankle while Mikoto went to his own room. A little over an hour later, her PDA rang.

Akiko saw the caller ID. "Yo. What is it, Kamamoto?"

"Is Mikoto currently with you?"

"No. He went to his room."

"Put your phone on speaker and have Mikoto come over."

"Mikoto!" Akiko shouted, covering the speaker of her PDA so she wouldn't blast out Rikio's eardrum. She can yell pretty loudly. "Kamamoto needs to speak with both of us." Soon, Mikoto came out to the bar. Akiko switched it to speaker.

"Is somethin' wrong? You and Kusanagi managed to catch that guy, right?"

"About that..." The embarrassment was evident in Rikio's voice. "We managed to catch him, but it was on the other side of the Tokyo Metropolis. He said he had hoped all of us would be chasing him, but getting HOMRA split up was still a great feat. Anyway, he was the one who hired the bomber. You know the building with the giant screen? There is a bomb that will blow it up in half an hour. At that time, lots of people will be going by it. Kusanagi is driving us back as fast as he legally can, but we won't make it in time. Both of you will need to take care of this. I managed to beat the exact location of the bomb outta the guy. I'll send it to you, Hashimoto." The dial tone resounded as Rikio hung up. A moment later, her alert went off that she received something. It must be the information. She put her phone away in her pants pocket.

Mikoto crouched in front of Akiko and had his back to her. He wanted her to get on. Akiko's entire face went red. "Mi-Mikoto! You don't need to do this again!"

"You can't walk well right now and if I left ya here, you'd be pissy at me. Hurry and climb on. We have to go now!"

Still blushing hard, Akiko went onto his back without saying another word. Mikoto ran out of the bar. "If that fucker thinks they can continue doing what they want in _my_ territory, they're in for a big surprise!"

"It's cold outside. Sure you don't need a coat?" Akiko asked, tightening her grip on his shirt. It wasn't much, but she was able to channel magecraft into the redhead to accelerate him slightly. The speed increase would be greater if he had magic circuits.

"I can deal." He noticed Akiko's tight grip on his shirt. Then he remembered what Izumo said. "Do I make you feel safe?"

Akiko's face went red in an instant. "Wh-What?!"

"I asked if I make you feel safe."

Akiko made a face like she was pouting, but with her cheeks still bright red. "I heard you the first time..."

"Do I? Is that why you're holding onto me tightly?"

Akiko squeezed her eyes shut and tensed her shoulders. "Gah! Let's...Let's just hurry up!"

"I really didn't think it was that hard of a question."

Akiko's chin rested on top of his head and the mage was looking away angrily. "Let's just disable the bomb and get back to the bar. I'm suddenly craving tequila."

Mikoto just continued to look straight ahead. "You really don't like speakin' your feelings, do you?"

"I could say the same for you."

"Touché."

* * *

Rikio and Izumo were in Izumo's van. Rikio put his PDA away in his sweatshirt pocket. "Let's hope those two will make it in time."

Izumo didn't let his eyes leave the road. "I'm sure they will."

Rikio glanced at Izumo. "Are you gonna let this one go?" He was referring to the teasing.

The meaning wasn't lost on Izumo. "When we all get back to the bar, I'll make sure to have fun with it."

"Mikoto will probably ignore you, but Hashimoto will get annoyed at you for it."

Izumo grinned. "Her reactions are what makes this fun."

Rikio sighed. "Her language can sure get colorful when she gets angry. I've heard things come out of her mouth that I haven't before."

"Look at it this way: she's teachin' you new words."

"You're lucky she hasn't gotten physical with you. Yet. I'm sure she'll snap one of these days."

"If she and Mikoto would just get together already then I wouldn't need to do any pushin'."

"That might be forcing them apart."

"I'd figure you'd know the power peer pressure holds. You'll see, they'll end up breaking. 100,000 yen says they will get together."

"Wait, you're making _a bet_?! Forget Hashimoto, if Mikoto finds out about this he'll roast our asses!"

"Well, don't let him find out. Now what's your wager?"

"Ugh. 1,000 yen that they won't."

Izumo laughed. "Only 1,000? So you also think they'll wind up together?"

"Ugh, yeah..."

* * *

Mikoto continued to sprint down the street, Akiko riding on his back. A car parked next to the sidewalk that they were about to pass suddenly blew up without any warning or visible trigger. A barrier of red shielded the two from the blast and the resulting shrapnel.

"The hell?!" Akiko shouted. "That car blew up on its own!"

The domed shield Mikoto conjured up vanished. He had stopped when he raised the shield of his aura. "Probably an attempt to take us out. Are we being watched?!"

"Dammit! I think we are!" Mikoto began running again. They entered the building with the screen. Akiko took out her PDA and was telling Mikoto where to go in order to find the bomb.

The directions took the two to a darkened room. "It's here." Akiko then looked up from her phone and only saw emptiness in the room. Certainly no bomb to be seen. "Where the hell's the bomb?"

Mikoto let out a growl. "This must have been a trap those scumbags set to lure us here." He walked deeper into the room, searching for something out of place.

Akiko suddenly looked around. She stopped when she seemed to have found something. "A sigil? For a bounded field?" She froze up at the feeling akin to that of a bucket of ice water being dumped on her. "Shit! It's active!"

"That's right. And now neither of you can escape."

There was a new voice, coming from behind the two. Mikoto turned around, seeing a black-haired man standing past the doorway into the room. He was wearing a trenchcoat that went down to his ankles. Two golems as tall as the room itself flanked his left and right sides.

Mikoto smirked. "So you're the asshole that hurt Totsuka? Saves me the trouble of lookin' fer ya!"

The man chuckled. "I heard that I managed to injure someone from HOMRA."

Akiko narrowed her eyes. She was sensing mana. "He's not an ordinary human. He's a mage!"

The man focused his gaze on her. "You can tell? Then you must also be one."

"You must've used a clairvoyance spell to know exactly when to set those bombs to blow up right where we'd be!"

"It was pretty handy."

"Then why not blow up the entire building to take us out?" Mikoto said.

"Mage rules. Can't allow ordinary bystanders witness magecraft," Akiko answered. "If he does that, there'll be an investigation. Even if he used bombs, these sigils will be discovered."

"Bingo!"

Mikoto spoke up. "I really don't give a shit about these rules. But you put someone from the Red Clan in the hospital. Hope you're ready to burn for it."

The mage licked his lips. "This'll be fun."

"Wut vom Himmel!"

The spell Akiko cast caused strings of white electricity to spark to life from the walls of the room and lash at the enemy like a bunch of snakes. The golems drew themselves closer to the man, acting as a shield against the lightning.

Mikoto shot forward, driving a blazing fist into one of the stone constructs. It shattered into tiny pieces upon impact.

Three fiery stakes came out of the ground, impaling the second and keeping it from moving. Akiko held out one hand to it. A large bolt of lightning flashed down from the ceiling and split the golem in half.

"It was that easy?!" Akiko exclaimed. "Are you a third-rate mage?!"

The man spat. "Dammit!"

"I'm still not done!" Akiko shouted. "Irdische Reißzähne!"

Spikes of dirt and concrete rose up from the ground under the male mage. He attempted to jump back just as they began to poke up, but more showed up where he was about to land.

"Bis auf die Knochen einfrieren!" A blast of freezing air shot out of his palm, which was pointed at the still-forming spikes. In an instant, a shell of ice formed on them and they shattered. The man landed on frozen ground and chips of ice. "You'll need to do better -"

He was cut off when he saw Mikoto suddenly in front of him. A flaming fist made contact with his face and the mage was blasted through a wall, breaking through the bounded field, and possibly all the way outside of the building. Akiko had a lock on his mana signature so as to not lose him.

Mikoto sprung out of the hole out of the building and conjured a massive wave of fire downward at the mage. He attempted to freeze it, but the ice melted instantly. At the same time, he took a massive leap back to avoid it trying to engulf him, but the part of his longcoat past his waist was blackened and crumbled apart. They were behind the building, away from the view of witnesses.

The instant Mikoto's feet hit the singed earth, a wolf-shaped familiar of magenta flames appeared from a jumble of several strands of dancing fire. Heat eminated from its bright-colored pelt.

"Get him!" Akiko ordered. The ability to create a fire familiar out of thin air was something she obtained upon joining HOMRA.

It dashed at the man, blazing sparks being thrown up each time its paws hit the earth. It leaped when it was only a couple meters away from its target, molten jaws wide open and crimson fangs prepared to sink into flesh.

An orb of light blue liquid suddenly sprang into being around the familiar, enclosing it within and keeping the wolf motionless in midair. The wolf suddenly seemed to explode in a cloud of white. It was clearly more than the bubble could handle as the rapidly-expanding steam escaped its walls. White instantly filled the man's vision.

Before he could do anything else, a stream of fire nailed him squarely in the torso. The earth below was instantly blackened and the steam was burned away. The man's body was sent flying back. Mikoto was in front of him before he could land and grabbed the mage's neck. Moments later, a sickening crunch resounded and the body of the man being held went limp. Without letting go, Mikoto conjured flames that quickly devoured the mage's body. In seconds, they went away after leaving nothing behind.

"Let's head back into the room so I can erase those sigils," Akiko said. Mikoto took her back and she began overriding the various marks scattered throughout the room. While doing it, she spoke up. "Hey, Mikoto?"

"Hm?" The king was using Akiko's phone to message Izumo and Rikio that the bomber has been killed. He had left his own at the bar. "What's up?"

"I think that mage...wanted to die."

"What makes ya say that?"

"His clairvoyance spell would've allowed him to see that one of his opponents is the Red King. And during the fight, he would've figured out I'm a second-rate mage. He was severely outclassed and yet he continued to try fighting back. There's magecraft for the purpose of escape that even third-rates know."

"Maybe he's an exception."

"It's a skill that's required for all mages. Besides, if he really wanted to escape he never would've activated that bounded field and trapped himself in with us. Actually, he never would've shown himself period."

"So he only picked a fight with us to go out in a brilliant way?"

"I think so. He may have felt guilty about all the people he hurt and wanted someone strong to be the one to finish him." She leaned back once the sigil she was erasing vanished. "That's the last one."

"Fine. We're going back to the bar."


	5. A Time of Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yõ's name has a wavy accent over it. Unfortunately, the PS4 keyboard doesn't have an 'o' with a straight line over it. That was the closest I could find. Not like I'll use it anywhere else in this story. The only foreign language will be German, for the spells.

The year had changed to 2008. It was already spring, April to be exact. Tatara had been discharged from the hospital months ago and was still coming to the bar each day.

In the bar was a bowl of bite-sized chocolates set out by Izumo an hour ago on the counter. He thought it would take a few days for all of them to be eaten. He didn't know how big of a sweet tooth Akiko has.

Yesterday, he mentioned there was some martial arts equipment that Mikoto used to use and was now in basement storage. As someone who practices martial arts, Akiko asked to use them. Due to the excitement that happened right before her birthday, the others forgot to give Akiko presents. She didn't seem to mind, but the boys felt guilty about it. Well, guilt didn't seem to show up for Mikoto, but he probably secretly also felt bad. Giving Akiko the equipment should help to serve as a late birthday gift. Unfortunately, her apartment room isn't that big so the equipment would need to be set up at the bar. Across from Mikoto's room is an empty room with a lot of space. That's where'd it'd be set up.

This morning, Izumo went down to the basement to get the equipment. Tatara was available to help if needed. Together, they managed to get everything set up in about an hour. Honestly, this surprised Izumo. He actually believed it would be dark outside by the time he was done. Some of that stuff was so large that moving it at an angle would be the only way to get it past the doorways and through the halls.

"Hashimoto had better appreciate the effort we're goin' through for her..." Izumo grumbled as he worked on hanging a punching bag from the ceiling of the room. So much dust collected on his tinted shade that he took off the eyeware ten minutes ago.

"I'm sure she'll love it," Tatara said. He was setting up targets for kicking.

Izumo continued his grumbling. "Where the hell's Kamamoto? I would've also liked his help! And it's almost afternoon! Is Mikoto _still_ on his morning walk?!"

"You know Kamamoto. He probably passed a fast-food place, just _had to_ eat there, and lost track of time somewhere when he was enjoying his fourth helping. And King may have encountered some idiots attempting to pick a fight with him," was Tatara's reply. "Plus, looks like we're almost done."

Izumo sighed in relief. "Finally."

Tatara chuckled. "It didn't take _that_ long!"

The two went back downstairs. Izumo was rolling one of his shoulders. It felt like he pulled something in it. He and Tatara came out to the main area of the bar. Akiko was sitting at the counter. She raised one hand in greeting. "Yo!"

"Well, we got every-" Izumo abruptly broke off what he was saying to stare at the bowl of chocolates. At least, it had been full of chocolates before Akiko got to them. The bowl was now empty, not a single scrap left in it. Izumo had a blank look on his face. "You...ate them all..?"

Akiko was still munching on one of the chocolates. She was staring back at Izumo without any guilt on her features. "Sorry. I love chocolate so I got carried away. They were all gone before I knew it."

"There was a large bag's worth in that bowl!"

"Well sorry. I'd figure you'd know by now how tempting sweets are for me."

Izumo let out an angry sigh. Tatara managed to sneak out of the bar so he wouldn't wind up roped into this. "You're going to buy a new bag."

"Whaaat?!"

"You heard me. You were the one who ate all of those so you're gonna replace 'em."

Akiko growled under her breath. "Fine, but you got the stuff all set up?"

"Yes, apparently while you were busy piggin' out."

"Hey, be glad I didn't pull a Kamamoto and emptied the fridge!" Rikio had gotten hungry about an hour after lunch one day and wound up eating everything in one of the bar's fridges. Izumo got just as pissed as when someone scratches the bar.

"I don't care how mild this was in comparison, just do it."

"I swear you can be so uptight sometimes!"

* * *

Mikoto was walking back to the bar now. Five idiots decided to pick a fight with him after he bumped into one. Actually, from his perspective, the nobody bumped into _him_. The scuffle was brought to an alley and Mikoto finished it by punching their lights out. He was now thinking about their two newest members.

It's a month away from it being one year since Akiko Hashimoto joined the Red Clan. Living this kind of life with like-minded people seemed to make her truly happy. She's an orphan, so perhaps she views the members as a second family. She seems to act as the Clan's older sister. She'll scold the other members at times and give them a tongue-lashing if they came back from a fight scratched up yet would be treating their injuries at the same time. She seemed to take it upon herself to look out for everyone.

She was incredibly loyal to the Clan. Again, this might be because she views the Clan as family and doesn't want to lose it. She has plenty of power without a piece of Mikoto's own, so just being with a group she fits in well with is probably making her stay. Mikoto knows she would never cause trouble for the Clan. Even if she does, it would be completely unintentional. She could determine if a member had to battle on their own, be it for pride or whatever, and would keep out of it.

A rather loud burp broke into his thoughts. Rikio was walking away from a food joint. When he saw Mikoto, he managed to run up to the king without losing his breath. "Mikoto! I'm so glad I ran into you! You have to try this new mapo tofu place, Kotomine's! It's to _die_ for!"

The only sign of acknowledgement Mikoto gave was a simple shrug. "Maybe sometime. So, you get enough to eat?"

Rikio grinned. "We'll see soon, won't we?"

Mikoto just sighed. "God, you can be such a glutton."

It would also be one year for Rikio in a little over two months. He may do a lot of whining if work's involved in whatever he's doing, but he'll fight tooth and nail for his friends if push comes to shove. He may not be as strong as the others, minus Tatara, but he makes up for it with a determination rivalling or even exceeding Akiko's. He'll only back off if someone from HOMRA orders to, not because everyone at the bar's senior to him but because he has faith that their judgement is the right call in the given situation.

He likes to joke around and have fun with the other members, but if it goes too far it can annoy them. Akiko calls him 'Fatty' or 'Fatass' if it gets to this point. She may continue it even into the summer.

Rikio spoke up. "Although, my appetite's going down."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Still seems like you eat enough for the rest of us in the Clan."

"Hey, I'll return to being skinny before any of you know it."

* * *

When the two returned to the bar, Akiko was the only one absent.

"Hashimoto have to be somewhere?" the redheaded king asked.

Izumo pointed with his thumb at the door to the stairs. "She's upstairs. Totsuka and I got all the equipment set up while you and Kamamoto were out, so she grabbed some things from her apartment and is using it. You know those chocolates I set out for the customers?"

"Isn't it something you're trying out to get customers to wanna come back? Honestly, I don't know how well it'll work."

"It should help with creatin' a more relaxed atmosphere here. Anyway, I found out just how large her sweet tooth is. I had set out that bowl right before Totsuka and I went to work upstairs. We were at it for maybe an hour. But when we were done, I saw that Hashimoto had eaten them all. So she also had to run to the store to buy more."

Rikio laughed. "So she's also guilty of eating a lot?"

"You probably wouldn't want to go teasing her about this, Kamamoto. I saw her training not too long ago. She wouldn't need magecraft or to strengthen herself to kick your ass."

Tatara looked at the clock. "She's been up there for over 40 minutes."

Mikoto headed for the door to the stairs. "Sounds like she's really into it. I'm gonna go check it out."

"Hopin' you find her all sweaty?" Izumo said with a grin.

Mikoto groaned. "This is gettin' old..."

"You can cut the 'she's my clansman' shit. Why won't you just admit to how you feel about her?"

"I'll only say what I believe our relationship to be."

Izumo took a deep breath. "Man, you're stubborn about this. She could have the hots for you."

"Fuck, would you just _shut up_ about this?!" Mikoto had opened the door and slammed it shut behind him right after he said that. He was most likely embarrassed. He makes a good effort of hiding it, but at times you could see the insecure side of him.

"He can be such a tsundere sometimes," Izumo grumbled.

While he was walking upstairs, Mikoto could hear shouts coming from one of the rooms. It definitely sounded like Akiko. The door to the room she's in was closed. Mikoto gently opened it and entered the room.

The stench of sweat hung heavily in the air. Mats covered most of the floor. Some still had scorch marks from when Mikoto first became king and he lost control a little. At one side of the room was the mage. Akiko was wearing a bright red sports bra and skin-tight shorts of black and the same shade of red that only went to the middle of her thighs. Sweat glistened all over her. She was really working hard.

Akiko had her back to the door and was kicking one of the standing targets. She didn't seem to notice the king that just walked in, too invested in what she was doing to pay attention. That's when Mikoto noticed something on her back. It was a vertical line of white starting at the middle of her left shoulder blade and ending right above her waist. It managed to stand out against her fair skin.

She bent down to grab her bottle of water. During this, she detected the king's presence in the room. She turned around, looking startled since someone had managed to enter without her knowing.

"Eek! How long have you been there?!"

"Just walked in."

"You need something?"

"No, just wanted to see how you're doing. You seem to be taking this seriously."

She spun around to hide her embarrassment. "We-Well, that's 'cause I really enjoy it!"

Mikoto once again felt his gaze drawn to the scar on Akiko's back. "So what's the story with your scar?"

Akiko was twiddling her thumbs. It wasn't exactly something she liked to talk about. "It-It's from an accident!"

Mikoto's frown deepened. He could tell she wasn't telling the truth, but decided not to press her for more information. This was clearly an uncomfortable topic for her. Everyone seems to have at least one thing they don't like to talk about. For Mikoto, it's the fact his dad used to beat him.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." He stated to head out the door.

"Hey, Mikoto." The king halted and looked back at his clansman. Akiko's body was facing him, but her eyes were looking elsewhere. She looked embarrassed. "Do you...maybe...wanna stay..?" As soon as those words left her mouth, her entire face went red and she squeezed her eyes shut. "Gah! Forget I said anything!" She turned to the training target and unleashed a ferocious volley of blows on it.

Mikoto just left the room. Something clearly angered Akiko, but what?

* * *

In the bar were Izumo, Tatara, Rikio, and two young men who joined the Red Clan a couple weeks ago, Yõ Chitose and Masaomi Dewa. Rikio had been the one to recommend them. Masaomi was more the quiet type while Yõ flirted with girls constantly. This included Akiko.

Right now, Yõ was flirting with Akiko again. And she wasn't having it. She just wanted him to go away so she could enjoy her fruit punch.

"Come on! Give me a chance to rock your world tonight!"

"For the millionth time, no!"

"Why so stubborn?"

"Chitose, I am _this close_ to punching you into next week! Knock it off!"

"Savin' yourself for Mikoto?"

Akiko's cheeks burned. "O-Of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

Masaomi came over. "Enough, Chitose. She clearly wants the king to nail her instead of you."

The burning spread to Akiko's ears. "Shut up, Dewa! Were you even listening to me?!"

"What? I'm right, aren't I?"

In the next instant, Masaomi's face was met with Akiko's fist and he hit the floor.

* * *

The door to the bar was thrown open and and Akiko marched in, looking annoyed. She was tightly gripping the ears of Yõ and Masaomi in each hand.

Tatara was staring at the two young men in Akiko's clutches. "What's the story there?"

"These two morons," Akiko threw the two down onto the floor of the bar. They were groaning at the rough treatment, "decided to pick a fight with another gang. I managed to break it up before it got too violent."

"Chitose was the one who pulled me in!" Masaomi protested.

Yõ shot him a glare. "Wow, way to throw a friend under the bus."

"But I'm right."

Izumo took a break from mopping the floor to groan and facepalm. "What are you two, children?"

"How did it start anyway?" Rikio asked.

"Chitose was trying to pick up a girl at a club," Masaomi answered. "Then her boyfriend from a gang present there came over and all hell broke loose."

"It was at a club I go to often. I happened to walk in just in time for a table to fly right past my face and smash into the wall," Akiko added with a glare directed at the two young men still sprawled out flat on the floor.

"You _screamed_ at the top of your lungs for everyone to break it up!" Yõ shot back as he gave Akiko a glare of his own. "Are you even aware of how loud you can be?! I swear that _time itself_ froze in that club! Everyone else certainly did!"

"I had to yell that loudly to get the morons in there to hear me," Akiko countered. "There was such a racket going on that you wouldn't be able to distinguish one shout from another!"

Masaomi was rubbing one of his ears. "I think you may have impared our hearing."

Izumo facepalmed. "The dispute in the club will look _great_ for HOMRA's expense report..."

"Well, it sounds like it was stopped before it got out of control," Tatara said.

"Yeah, but if these two said they were from here, we'll get hit with a bill for damages..."

* * *

Akiko was about to go upstairs to train, but Yõ stopped her. He looked right at the mage. "You're supposed to be good at hand-to-hand combat, right? I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good in a fistfight. Wanna spar to see who's the better close combat fighter?"

"Sure," Akiko replied.

"Who knows, ya may end up fallin' for me."

"Don't count on it."

The two started to go up the stairs. Izumo shouted up after them. "DO NOT damage the bar!"

"Geez! We'll be careful, _Dad_!" Akiko shouted back. "Man, he can be seriously testy!"

In the room, both clansmen were about four meters apart and facing each other. Akiko was smirking as she took a fighting stance. "Don't cry when I kick your ass."

Yõ also got ready. He was confident he would win. "Same to you."

The difference in their stances made it clear who had the advantage. Akiko had been trained professionally for over half her life. Her stance allowed her to either attack or defend. There was indeed no obvious openings in her to take advantage of.

Yõ, on the other hand, taught himself how to fight. He tried to take a strong stance, but Akiko already spotted several weaknesses in his defense that she can exploit for a win.

Yõ made the first move at Akiko, going at her head-on and throwing a punch at her face. Akiko simply blocked it, knocking it away with one of her forearms so the fist would go past her face. Then the arm she was using to block the punch hooked Yõ's arm right above his elbow while both arms were still touching and jerked him to her. She struck at his exposed abdomen with the elbow of her other arm but just barely made contact before she pulled it back. She let go of Yõ's arm so she wouldn't dislocate it with her next move, which was using her leg to sweep his right one out from under him and this caused him to fall onto the mat on his back. This made him screw his eyes shut from the impact. He opened them only to see Akiko's right fist just barely brushing his nose. She was standing by the arm that would have been dislocated.

"You need practice," was all Akiko said. She pulled her fist back and offered her hand to the other clansman.

Yõ gulped nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing as he did so. "Jeez..." He grabbed Akiko's hand and she helped him to his feet.

"I'm a mage, but we tend to be weak in close-combat. To make up for this, all mages are required to know basic self-defense. I really enjoyed it, so I spent years training in martial arts."

Akiko remained upstairs, training. Yõ walked downstairs, not looking at all pleased. Masaomi went over to him. "So what happened?"

Yõ stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He had been smoking since he was 16. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Masaomi snickered. "Did you get beaten by a girl? You did, didn't you?"

Yõ pounded Masaomi through the derby hat the latter wears while giving him a dirty look. "Can it, Dewa."


	6. A Job From the Association

The door to the bar opened and Akiko walked in. Everyone else was already present. "I got a fax from the Mage's Association about my latest job."

"What's the Mage's Association?" Rikio asked. As it was late July, he was skinny again. It took Yõ and Masaomi a couple days to get used to this.

"I never told you guys, did I? It's a magecraft institute. I work for them. In fact, I came to Shizume on their orders. Normally, this shouldn't be discussed with non-mages, but kings and clansmen are an exception."

Tatara glanced at Akiko. "The Association faxed you? They couldn't just email you the info?"

"Some mages are pretty old-fashioned, and that includes the Association. It's also to keep the general public from knowing about mages. It's easier to hack an email than a fax machine. Anyway, I'll need some backup. There are a lot of mages to most likely fight during this job. There's a huge bounty involved. If you guys agree to help, I'll split half the reward with HOMRA. They probably assigned me this job because of my Origin and because I'm in HOMRA. I can't refuse any job they ask me to handle due to my being in debt with them." She got out a piece of paper and wrote on it. "This is half." She passed the paper to Izumo. He picked it up, looked it over, and did a double-take.

"Holy shit! This is half?!" Masaomi snuck a peek at the number written on the paper and choked.

"It's a dangerous job, so the reward is high."

"This is more than I'll make in two years!"

Mikoto glanced at him. "Seriously?" Then he looked at Akiko. "So what's the job?"

"It's to take out a group of mages, ranging from third-rates to first. They've been carelessly using magecraft to make themselves feared by the community and to kill those who get in their way."

"Why haven't we heard anything about this before?!" Tatara demanded.

"The area they're hiding out in is Blue Clan territory and those guys wanted to handle this on their own. But without a king to give them power, they can't take the mages down. The Blues have reached their breaking point and were the one who filed this request to the Association, which Jin Habari, the previous Blue King, was partners with."

"So they don't care that the aid will come from the Red Clan?" Izumo asked as he lit a cigarette in his mouth.

Akiko shook her head. "It shouln't matter as long as it's on Association orders."

"This all sounds like a pain," Yõ said with a yawn. "Why don't you just refuse this job and they can find someone else?"

"The Association used a self-geas scroll on me. A geas is a curse that will bind you for life and even in death. Strain research aside, I cannot refuse any jobs the Association sends me. If I do, the geas will kill me. The Association took care of me for 11 years. So I'm in debt to them. Well, at least I get paid well for the jobs."

Tatara was looking at Akiko with a serious expression on his face. "I'll try to convince them to surrender peacefully. Will that be against your geas?"

Akiko shook her head. "It'll be fine. All that matters is that this job gets finished, not whether the opponents are still alive."

"These guys will most likely end up being burned to nothing," Mikoto pointed out. "How will you get paid in full if you can't prove certain ones were taken down?"

"We'll see a mage for the Association after this job. Magecraft will be used on me to see the faces of what I saw on this job."

Mikoto gave an exaggerated grunt as he stood up. "Let's just get this done so I can get to sleep."

During the walk throught the city, Akiko spoke up once there weren't any pedestrians in earshot.

"Remember me mentioning my Origin? It grants me C-rank Magic Resistance. Any magecraft of two verses or lower is cancelled upon making contact with me any higher has their effects reduced. This doesn't apply to High Thaumaturgy or Greater Rituals."

Mikoto glanced at the woman. She was walking up front by him since she was the only one with the destination. "I've been wonderin' what ranks mages? Y'know, first-rate and such?"

"It's about mana output," Akiko replied. "A higher output means you don't have to take as long to cast high ranking spells. Low rank mages will attempt to cast spells as fast as possible, so they tend to use low-level spells. If they attempt to cast a strong spell, it'll most likely fry their magic circuits and make it impossible to use magecraft again. They usually need the aid of other mages for those types, but it tends to take some time."

Some time later, the group of seven found themselves standing in front of an abandoned baseball stadium.

Masaomi looked at the stadium. "So, this is the place?"

"Yeah. Like how the bar is where we gather, they meet here," Akiko replied. "Everyone ready?"

"Hopefully, negotiations will go well and we won't need to be ready," Tatara said.

"I hope so too."

Izumo chuckled. "Have a little faith in Totsuka!"

Akiko sighed. "I know. But in case things go wrong..."

In the center of the stadium, there were a couple dozen mages.

Masaomi whistled. "And the Mage's Association want you to take care of _all of them_?!"

"Yeah..." Akiko grumbled. "What a pain in the ass..."

"The Association? Are you one of their dogs?" one mage said to Akiko.

"Wait! I recognize her! She is! I heard she joined HOMRA. It's actually not a huge surprise. Apparently, she's more proficient with fire than any other element. But she's only a second-rate mage, so she's not a huge threat. The other clansmen can use magecraft on par with third-rates. The biggest threat is the one with the red hair and amber eyes. His magecraft can range in strength all the way up to Age of Gods level."

"Are ya shittin' me?! He's _that_ strong?!"

"He's the king of the Red Clan. We haven't had to deal with one since this is Blue Clan territory and those guys have been without a king for nine years."

"Wait! Then why is the Red Clan here?! Kings have more authority in Tokyo than the Association, so much that they can't just butt in here without an official request from a king!"

"Hold up! Isn't Gen Shiotsu representing the Blue Clan until they get a new king?"

"Yeah! He could've requested assistance!"

Mikoto was tapping one foot impatiently. "God! This is _so_ boring! Someone attack someone already!"

Izumo let out a nervous laugh. "Talk them down, Totsuka, before our king runs out of patience."

Tatara took a few steps forward. "I was thinking the same thing." He was looking right at the mages. "Surrender now! Do that, and no blood will be shed!"

A mage spoke up. "And why should we do that?! Those SCEPTER 4 bastards said the same thing! They weren't able to stop us from kickin' their asses!"

"Because we have a king and they don't."

"No matter how strong he is, he's just one person! There's 27 of us! All of us together can take him!"

Mikoto snarled. "I'd like to see ya try..." He tried to take a step forward, but Izumo grabbed his arm to stop him. Mikoto clicked his tongue in annoyance, but made no move to resist.

"Don't forget about the rest of us," Tatara gestured to the other clansmen. "You'll also be forced to deal with us."

A mage pointed a hand at Tatara. "How many fucks do ya think we give?" Balls of pure energy were fired at the young man.

"Not gonna happen!"

Izumo's fireballs countered each one, creating several bursts of smoke. He moved in front of Tatara, standing before him like a guard.

"Somethin' tells me that talkin' won't work. Brute force it is!"

He nudged Tatara back. A dome of red erupted from Mikoto without him twitching a muscle. In the air, among the clouds, was a mass of pure energy colored red and shaped like a sword pointing down. It's known as a Sword of Damocles. This one belonged to Mikoto, a physical representation of the great power at his disposal. It would fall on the king if he exceeds his limit, called his Weismann level. However, his Sword showed no signs of damage and thus he was nowhere near his limit. Along with serving as an intimidation tactic, the fact Mikoto's was out shows that he isn't going to be playing around. Fire wreathed around the king like a second jacket.

"Alright. Who wants to die first?"

The remaining four grinned. The king's Sanctum would boost the power of their fire. "No Blood! No Bone! No Ash!" With that, they ran at the mages, red auras blazing.

"Don't take us lightly!" one shouted. She fired several blue magecraft rounds. Akiko moved in front of the boys. As soon as the bullets hit her, they dispersed into nothingness without damaging her at all. "What?!"

"Kamamoto!"

At Akiko's shout, Rikio jumped over Akiko and brought one fiery leg up. When he came down, his heel smashed into the ground. This caused a massive explosion of flames to erupt, which split the mages up on either side of the fire.

Not giving them time to rest, Yõ and Masaomi, each taking one side of the attack to drive them back with fiery blasts. Akiko told the three that even though most of these mages are stronger than them, they still need a little time to prepare spells. So doing weak, but instant, attacks and keeping their distance should prevent a counterattack.

The four retreated as fast as possible as what looked like a meteor shower came down on the enemies. Massive clouds of dust mixed with fire were thrown up. The boys were tripping over themselves as they ran as fast as they could. Akiko materialized a shield to protect from the debris flying at them like bullets. All of them got behind Mikoto, along with Tatara and Izumo.

"That get 'em?" Mikoto asked, probably to no one in particular.

Masaomi was panting from his sprint. "Geez Mikoto! You almost roasted _us_!"

Tatara laughed nervously. "It's fine, it's fine! It all worked out in the end!"

"Easy for you to say..." Yõ grumbled. "You weren't in the line of fire..."

Mikoto sighed. "Even if Hashimoto hadn't done somethin', I would've had my aura protect you guys."

Izumo flicked his cigarette lighter open. "Don't relax yet!"

The smoke and dust cleared, revealing a few shields that were up. Several mages were hiding behind them, all displaying no damage from that attack.

"Are you kidding me?!" Rikio exclaimed. "They were able to withstand that attack?!"

"If they could be taken down just like that, then the bounty wouldn't be so huge," Akiko pointed out. The shields went down as various spells ranging in power were fired at the group. She took a few steps forward to avoid being guilty of friendly fire. "Unsichtbare Klingen!"

Blades of strong wind were fired at the incoming assault. Some spells blew up as equal force countered them, but several were still on target. Columns of fire from Mikoto rose up from the ground, engulfing all of them.

A marble with a swirl of pink and red was flicked at Akiko. About a meter away from her, it glowed bright orange and exploded. When the smoke cleared, a dome of red was around the clansman.

"Thanks, Mikoto!"

Mikoto just grunted in respone while focusing on the mages targeting him. He shot forward at one, red aura raging like an inferno around the fist that was launched. The mage narrowly avoided the blazing fist by stepping to the side, but was immediately engulfed by a wall of flames that erupted around the king. The mage jumped away from the blaze, reinforcing his body to survive long enough to escape the scorching heat, but still had several burns littering his body. Before he had time to react to anything else, the king's hand grabbed his face. In an instant, the mage's body erupted into flames. The victim was devoured entirely, nothing of him remaining.

Some were coming up behind Mikoto, ready to use spells. The air around the king warped as the temperature shot up. The second the mages entered the air which now felt like the inside of a volcano, their bodies burned away.

A silver, liquid-like substance materialized right over Mikoto, about to engulf him. Fire appeared over the redhead. As soon as the magecraft collided with the flames, the magical energy making up the magecraft was incinerated and the spell vanished in an instant.

"The hell?!"

That was Yõ. Akiko was digging around in his pocket.

"I know you have one...There!"

She retracted her hand. In it was a Swiss army knife.

"What's that for?" Masaomi asked while launching crests of fire.

Akiko grinned. "You'll see."

Yõ glared at her. "Go ahead, take what you want from me. No need to ask me if it's okay."

"Thanks."

Yõ went red in the face. "That was sarcasm!"

"Whatever." Akiko made a slice on some of her left index finger with the knife. She tossed the tool back to Yõ. "You can have it back, Chitose."

Yõ fumbled to catch it without cutting himself. "Hey! The blade's still out!"

Akiko ignored him and ran forward. Any of the attacks from her allies that hit the woman dispersed into nothingness upon contact. She flicked some of her blood out to the mages and immediately jumped back. The airborne red droplets then burst into several fiery blasts, intense enough to make the ground tremble.

Some spells were launched at Akiko through the dust and smoke. Rikio, Yõ, and Masaomi ran in front of Akiko, defending her while she prepared her next attack. Swords of magenta flames materialized in the air over the attacking mages. The blades were pointing down at them.

"Die!" Akiko shouted. The swords came down all at once. Chunks of debris and wisps of fire were kicked up.

The ground rumbled before it splintered and gave way, opening a giant hole. This went under not just Akiko but also Rikio, Yõ, and Masaomi. Their eyes went wide when they suddenly found themselves falling.

"Shit..!" Rikio hissed while rubbing at his head from the harsh landing. He looked around, seeing the other three clansmen who fell among the rubble, groaning and trying to collect themselves. "Where even are we?"

Yõ, spitting curses, looked up. "It looks like we fell into an underground layer." Rikio saw the gaping hole above the dark area where they were. They had only fallen one level. They were now in a dark room of concrete and some pillars.

Akiko blushed and looked away, ashamed. "Sorry about this."

Masaomi shook his head. He was dusting off his derby hat. "Don't worry about it. There's no way you could've known about this underground cavity." He put his hat back on. "Looks like the ground took one too many hits."

Yõ was rubbing his butt. "It was a rough landing though."

Rikio was still staring up at the hole. "So...how do we get back up?"

"I'll create some chains," Akiko said. "We can use those to get back to the surface."

"Hopefully the hole won't collapse more," Masaomi muttered.

"Well, that's our only option unless you have a better suggestion."

"Maybe Mikoto will think of something!"

"I hope so. I'm not 100% sure of this either, but it's all I got."

Tatara's head poked over the edge of the hole. "You guys alright?"

"Yeah," Rikio answered. "All of us are accounted for."

Tatara looked back. "They're alright, Kusa -"

Yõ suddenly threw a kick, a long crest of fire cutting through the air to the other side of under the hole. At the same time, a green bullet of magecraft had been fired up at Tatara. Both strikes collided and a blast resulted. Dust rained down from the new ceiling.

"No time to chat," Yõ said sternly. "We aren't the only ones who fell down here. Totsuka! Stand back for now!"

"Just great..." Akiko grumbled. She took a fighting stance. Now that she had gotten used to the low light, she could make out a female mage facing them, about ten meters away. She was the one with the black hair that went to the middle of her back and with bright red streaks. Like Akiko, she had blue eyes. But hers were icy. And, if Akiko remembers right, she's a first-rate mage. Lovely...

She held out one hand. A swirl of black and red formed at the tip of the index finger she was pointing at the four.

"Shit! Everyone, get to cover!" Akiko suddenly shouted, eyes going wide. Dark bullets were fired at them. The boys followed Akiko's lead, retreating behind some pillars to avoid the onslaught. Right as Rikio was diving to cover, one of those projectiles skimmed his back. A small slice in his sweatshirt was made with some blood oozing out from the cut.

"The hell were those?!" Masaomi demanded of Akiko. He and Yõ had hid behind a pillar different from the one Akiko was using. Both were panting hard and Masaomi's wide, urgent stare was fixed on Akiko. Behind them, there was the sound of stone being torn into.

"Gandr. A Nordic curse. Don't let any bullet hit you squarely," Akiko replied. The sound of the rounds hitting the pillars stopped. She chanced a peek around her pillar at the enemy mage and a Gandr that almost slammed into her face made her snap her head back. "I hope those Gandr rounds from that mage aren't too strong for this or I'm dead..." She sprint out of hiding, more of those dark bullets slamming into the ground behind her. "Schließ die Tür!"

A translucent barrier of swirling blues and greens materialized in front of her, taking the impacts delivered by the barrage of Gandr shots. But instead of breaking apart and dispersing, the bullets seemed to bounce off the surface of the barrier and continued their journey through the air, their destination this time being the mage who shot them in the first place.

The fired magecraft was suddenly put on halt. At the same time, the enemy quickly squat down and, still keeping low, sprung away to her right. The attacks that missed her instead slammed into the wall at the back of the room.

During this, Akiko quickly turned her gaze to the three HOMRA members still in hiding and gestured to the other mage with her head, a signal for the young men to get out and attack the opponent. They came out and launched a merciless a barrage of fire at the woman. She materialized a large shield to defend herself, but the unrelenting attacks were obscuring her vision.

Akiko jumped at the other mage just as the assault ended, making the enemy lower her guard, and was swinging her leg up high before bringing her heel down on top of the head of the other. The enemy crossed her arms over her head, them taking the blow. The concrete under her cracked and cratered, dust and large chunks of the material being thrown up.

She grabbed Akiko's ankle and threw her to the side. Akiko's turned her body so her feet hit the pillar she was about to crash into and sprung off it, a fist pulled back for a punch. The other mage fell back just before Akiko made contact. The punch she let loose on the ground created something akin to a small blast going off.

Meanwhile, the three Red clansmen just stared in silence as they watched the two girls exchange mana-enhanced blows, sweatdropping as the space around the two resembled more and more that of a demolition site.

Both launched a roundhouse kick with their right leg at the other's head. Both shins smashed into each other, causing sparks of mana to fly out on impact. The enemy held out one hand, a katana of mana forming in it. She used the blade to flick up some dirt on the ground. It flew in Akiko's eyes, making her pull her leg back. The mage's leg swept Akiko's out from under her and she fell, the back of her head smacking against the ground. The katana came down at her head.

"Hashimoto!" Izumo shouted, ready to fire off several fireballs.

Akiko recovered a split second later and rolled to the side in time to save her head from being impaled. The other woman growled in frustration, but it was abruptly cut off with a scream when a barrage of fireballs by Izumo pelted her.

"Where did you come from?!" Akiko shouted.

"There are some stairs leadin' down here."

Akiko was about to say something ele when Izumo spoke up again. "She's _still_ alive?!"

"Son of a bitch..! Zurückhalten!"

Chains of violet appeared from the ground and wrapped around the enemy mage. She was sporting several burns.

"She should be too weak to break the chains, but you never know. I want you guys to be ready," Akiko said. She walked over to the mage and held out one hand.

"Please spare me!"

Akiko wasn't going to show mercy. "Tell me. How often were those exact same words said to you?" Without waiting for a response, Akiko conjectured a column of flames that consumed the trapped mage. The chains dematerialized into mana.

Izumo walked up to Akiko. "Let's join up with Mikoto and Totsuka."

On the surface, Tatara ran to the others. "You're okay!"

"It was only one enemy." Then Akiko noticed the stadium was clear. "Killed 'em, Mikoto?"

"Almost. One of 'em fled. A woman lookin' to be in her 30s with green hair. Went south."

"I know who you're talking about. Probably fled to her apartment, but I know where it is. Association also gave me info on where each lives."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A woman was making sure she had everything. She was going to need to move. A gigantic blast of fire blew away her door, grabbing her attention.

"I know the Association doesn't have much influence here since this is the kings' jurisdiction, but did you really think you could hide here forever?"

The woman tried to back up as HOMRA entered, but her back hit the wall.

"What's going on?"

A little boy walked out of another room. His eyes went wide as soon as they landed on the Red Clan.

The mage faked a smile. "Just go back to your room. Mommy'll handle this."

Tatara was looking at the boy. "He looks frail. Is he sick?"

She glared at the Clan. "And if I say yes? Are you just going to let me go?"

Izumo looked at a table. "Prescription forms for medication? Wait..."

There was silence for a moment. Then Akiko broke it. "...You guys saw a lot of money coming in from people paying you to leave them alone, hiring you guys to do their dirty work, and lots of other things. This money was divided among the members..."

"Were you doing this just to get money for your son's medicine?" Tatara finished.

"...Fine. Now just leave me in peace!"

Akiko shook her head. "I can't do that. They'll send someone else, and that person might not be so kind as to let you both live."

"Huh?"

"Just surrender."

That was when the boy spoke up, talking to his mother. "What'll happen to us?"

Mikoto suddenly found himself in a dark place during his childhood, clutching a woman tightly while also being held tightly. The woman had long, dark red hair and amber eyes.

_"What'll happen to us?"_

Mikoto's fist smashed into Akiko's cheek, making her fly into the wall.

"Wha -?! Hashimoto!" Yõ shouted. He ran over to the woman.

"It was a good thing I had my body hardened," Akiko said. Then she glared at the Red King. "What the fuck, Mikoto?!"

He turned his gaze to Akiko. He had a faraway look in his amber eyes, as if something else was playing in his vision. "Back. Off!"

Tatara stared at Mikoto with concern on his features. "King? What's going on?"

Akiko glared at the rogue mage. "Did you do something to him?!"

"Of course not!"

Akiko just growled in response. Izumo was trying to calm the redhead down. Rikio was taking a few steps back.

"Please don't do this Mikoto," Izumo said slowly.

Tatara walked slowly over to Mikoto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "King, you need to calm down."

Masaomi suddenly tore his eyes away from Mikoto and fixed his gaze on the lady, who had taken a step forward. "Don't move!"

Akiko stood up and was looking right at the mage. "Turn yourself in peacefully and you'll be put on trial with the Association. But if you resist or attempt to flee, I'll kill you."

"What about my son?"

Akiko looked down sadly, as if she truly didn't want to do this. "Given the circumstances, the Mage's Association will most likely take custody of him."

"That won't happen! I promised him that I'd always be there for him! So die!" The woman charged at Akiko. Light flared in her right hand.

"Goddamn it!" Fire blazed to life over Akiko's left arm. She sidestepped out of the way of the strike before driving her blazing fist through the woman's chest and out her back, a spray of blood accompanying it.

The little boy slowly approached his mother's dead body on the ground. "Mommy? Please stand up now."

Izumo glanced at Mikoto, hearing the king's breathing get heavy. Amber eyes were wide. "...Mom?"

Izumo tsked. So that's why Mikoto's been acting strange! This was reminding him of _that_! "Totsuka! Get Mikoto outta here!"

Tatara didn't need to be told twice. Luckily, he had picked up on it too. He was coaxing Mikoto into the hallway. "Come on, King. Let's go for a walk."

Rikio was just staring at the two. "What was that about?" Then he went over to Akiko. "Didja really hafta kill her?"

"That spell, if it hit me, would've caused my magic circuits to explode, killing all of us. It was kill or be killed. I'm not...I won't let us be killed. No matter what."


	7. A Past Revealed

That evening, once the job was reported as complete, Akiko headed up the stairs to the second floor of the bar. She intended to do some light training to help take her mind off it.

"Hashimoto. That you? Come in here."

That was Mikoto's voice. He was speaking from his room. His door was opened slightly.

"Huh? Need something from me?"

"Just get in here."

Akiko, a little unsure since no reason was given, entered the bedroom. Inside, the Red King was sitting on a couch.

"Close the door and take a seat here." He pat the empty spot next to him.

Akiko gently closed the bedroom door. "So, mind tellin' me what this is about?"

"I will when ya sit down."

"Ugh, fine." She went over and plopped down next to the king. "There. Now your turn."

"I was thinkin' that maybe ya should learn about my parents to make up for me punchin' ya."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah. But I'll warn ya that it's not very pleasant."

"I don't care. If you wanna tell me, I'll listen."

Mikoto took a deep breath. "Fine."

_It all stated when he was six. It was night and Mikoto's father needed to go out and meet with a friend, leaving Mikoto and his mother alone in the living room. No one thought a burglar would choose that night to break into the house._

_The mother quickly hid herself and her son in the closet soon after the person broke through the kitchen window. She dialed 911 and sent them the house's address as well as the current situation. She was stroking her son's head in an attempt to calm him down, though it didn't help much since she was also shaking in fear._

_It was when the burglar was searching the living room for things to steal that a young Mikoto spoke to his mother in a fearful whisper._

_"What'll happen to us?"_

_The burglar stiffened upon hearing that whisper and glared at the closet. "Is someone there?" A gun was taken out when that was said._

_Mikoto's mother burst out of the closet, making the burglar think it was just her and not her son in there, and tackled the person to the ground. After a bit of wrestling around, three gunshots rang out and the mother went still, her body hitting the carpet. Liquid crimson was slowly coming out of her, soaking into the fabric below._

_"Mom?" Mikoto's shaky voice rang out as he stared at his mother's unmoving body with wide amber eyes._

_The burglar was now aware of the son's presence. The person took one step forward when men in blue uniforms broke down the door and rushed into the house, guns drawn. They pinned the burglar down and got handcuffs on the person._

_Mikoto saw this as a chance to speak normally. He looked to where his mother lay. One man in blue had two fingers on the side of her neck._

_"Mom? You can get up now." But his mother didn't budge. The man who had his fingers on her neck looked at the others dressed in blue and sadly shook his head. But Mikoto at that age didn't know what that meant and kept telling his mother it was safe to get to her feet. Eventually, one of the men came over to Mikoto and squatted down so he was eye-level with the six-year-old. The rest were forcing the burglar outside in a very rough manner. The one with Mikoto pulled to little boy into a tight hug._

_"I'm sorry, kid, but your mom isn't going to get up."_

_"For right now. Something put her to sleep, right?"_

_"I hate this part of the job..." he growled. Then he spoke to Mikoto again. "She won't be waking up. She's dead."_

_Mikoto shook his head. At this point, tears began to well up in his eyes. "My dad will get home and everything will be better."_

_It took a lot of convincing on the man's part, but Mikoto eventually ran to his fallen mother, crying loudly. The red on her had gotten cold, just like her body._

_Shortly after this incident, Mikoto noticed that his father had taken to drinking a lot, trying to erase the memory of the fact his wife was gone now, but nothing he did could make him forget._

_In an attempt to vent his frustration and rage, he began beating his son, saying that it's Mikoto's fault his wife died. He knew how protective his wife was over Mikoto. It wasn't hard for him to figure out what happened, seeing as how she's dead and Mikoto's unharmed._

_"You little shit!" he yelled while kicking Mikoto mercilessly in the ribs. "If you had never been born she'd still be alive!"_

_"Please stop! You're hurting me!"_

_"Good!"_

_Mikoto was too scared to say anything. When he was questioned about where he got the cuts and bruises, he simply replied with that he accidentally hurt himself while playing._

_Even as he got older, Mikoto never knew if he should tell someone about being beat several times a week. His father only beat him while drunk. When he was sober, he was really kind to Mikoto, since his son was the only living thing that remained of his wife._

_One day, when he was 14, Mikoto came into the house after school._

_"I'm home." There was no response. His father should be home by now. "Dad? Are you here?" He began looking around the house._

_The light was on in the kitchen. That was weird. The only time it's on is when he and his father are eating. A feeling of foreboding entered Mikoto but he pushed it down._

_"Are you in here?" Mikoto asked as he entered the kitchen. He was unprepared for the sight he was met with._

_His father was in the kitchen. He had made a noose with some rope and hung himself. His face was as pale as Mikoto's mother's when she died eight years ago. Was he dead then?_

_Mikoto just stood there for a few moments, speechless, before fishing out a meat knife and cutting his father down. But it was too late. His father was dead._

_Mikoto's grandparents took him in. Though they were upset their son's dead, they didn't blame Mikoto for it. Mikoto saw a psychologist for the second time since his mother died, but it was tougher this time to get the redhead to express how he really feels. This marked the start of him bottling up his feelings._

"...So that's what happened?" Akiko was at a loss for what else to say.

Mikoto grunted. Was he having second thoughts about telling her this? "Don't tell anyone else about this."

"I would've thought Totsuka and Kusanagi already do."

"They know my parents are dead but not that I had been abused." He then grabbed her face with one hand and squeezed it. "I mean it: not a word to _anybody_!"

Akiko knows she should be intimidated. This is someone who could end her the second she spills what he just told her. But instead of agreeing to keep the secret, she just continued to stare at those beautiful amber irises.

The king was suddenly aware of how close their faces are. He released his hold on Akiko and shifted a little back from her. He was blushing a little.

Then Akiko's shout refocused his attention on her. "Gah! Oh, fuck it! I can't hold it in anymore!"

"What do you -" Mikoto was cut off when one of Akiko's hands flew onto his shoulder and the other went to the back of his head, slender fingers tangling in his messy red hair. Before he could react to this, warm lips suddenly collided with his. Amber eyes went wide in that instant.

Their lips parted and Akiko quickly stood up from the couch and took a few steps back, blushing a bright red. Mikoto was too shocked to say anything. "Sorry, Mikoto, I've been wanting to do that for a while, but I managed to hold it in. However, it seems I've reached my breaking point." She looked away, not wanting to meet the king's gaze. "That was probably pretty awkward, right? Just forget that ever happened. I promise I won't do it again." She turned, ready to head out of the room. "I'm fine with us just staying friends, even if it would make me a little sad. Just staying with HOMRA already makes me happier than I can describe."

"Hashimoto."

The sound of that deep voice along with her name made her stiffen. She turned slowly around, unsure if the redhead would be mad at her. "What is it?"

She didn't expect Mikoto to come up to her, using one arm to pull the woman against his body and have the other hand gently grip her chin and tilt her head so that her eyes were meeting his. Rage was not present on his features but rather a tender one, the eyes gazing down at Akiko full of love. His thumb was tracing her lower lip.

"If you felt this way about me for some time, then I wish that you did this sooner." He pressed his lips to Akiko's. She had expected his kiss to be rough, not this gentle. Her arms wrapped around his body, eyes closing and returning the pressure against his mouth. She's never felt so happy in her entire life. It was almost enough for her to want to shed tears of joy.

"About time!"

The king and clansman instantly stopped and looked to the door, where the voice had come from. Standing in the open doorway with a grin plastered on his face was Izumo. How was he able to open the door without either of them hearing?!

Then Izumo looked shocked and slapped a hand over his mouth. "I'm so sorry! That just slipped out! Did I kill the mood?!"

"A little," Mikoto replied. The interruption was causing the bulge in his pants to go down. "Have ya been there long?"

"Just showed up. Wanted to see if ya calmed down. I guess ya have if you two are makin' out."

"Whatever. So are ya happy now that we've done this?"

"Well, duh!"

"We're going to give this relationship a try and see how it goes," Akiko said. "Probably a week or two and then we'll announce it. You got what you want, so I assume you'll be able to keep it a secret until then?"

"Of course!"

"And that means you'll hafta wait to get your money from Kamamoto."

Mikoto couldn't help but smirk at the look of shock that appeared on Izumo's face. "How'dja find out?!"

"I thought it was strange that ya didn't tease me 'bout stayin' with Hashimoto, so I decided to interrogate Kamamoto for the reason since he was with you. He ended up spillin' the details of the bet ya made."

"Those two made a bet?!" Akiko exclaimed.

"Yeah. Kusanagi wagered 100,000 yen that we'll get together while Kamamoto put 1,000 that we won't."

Akiko was giving Izumo a death glare. "Trying to get us together is one thing, but putting money on it? You're the fucking worst."


End file.
